Just the other day, one of my friends asked me the commonly pondered question, “Wait, so why is marijuana illegal?” Let’s not joke around, the majority of today’s population has come to the realization that marijuana is at least not as bad as the “Reefer Madness” era tried to convince us it is and that police resources should be focused on serious crime. So what exactly is the real reason for prohibition? The answer is disconcerting. Marijuana prohibition in the United States was attributed purely to racism, in particular against Mexican immigrants and the black jazz culture. Newspapers printed headlines spreading racist ideas such as, “Marihuana influences Negroes to look at white people in the eye, step on white men's shadows and look at a white woman twice." Claims that marijuana incited violence among minorities played a central role in building support for harsh drug laws within white communities.

    With marijuana prohibition eventually came prohibition of other popular drugs, and institutionalized racism flourished within the criminal justice system. Cleverly hidden under the false agenda of protecting citizens from scary drugs, politicians were able to enforce what can be considered the new Jim Crow laws, the “War on Drugs“. Though we have recently elected a black President, we still have a long way to go. Today, although African Americans comprise about 13% of the population, they make up about 59% of those convicted of drug offenses. Either police are failing to report an overwhelming majority of white drug convictions, or there is a serious problem of racial profiling. I’ll go with the latter.

    Not only are African Americans unfairly targeted, their treatment within the criminal justice system is shockingly unjust. The policy of mandatory minimums for crack cocaine vs. powder cocaine is absurd. Mandatory sentencing for possession of five grams of crack cocaine, which has the same active ingredient as powder cocaine but is primarily more popular in lower income communities of color, is five years. On the other hand, it would take possession of five-hundred grams of powder cocaine for such a sentence.

    And as far as felonies versus second chances? I’m sure you know the answer. Most white drug users will get away with treatment or probation, while the chances of black drug users receiving a felony charge is extremely higher. Now wait, there’s no chance the fact citizens with felony charges cannot vote has anything to do with this, is there? Can’t be…

    The blatant racism underlying the drug war cannot remain hidden any longer. It’s up to us to uncover the realities, spread the message, and reform the laws. Students for Sensible Drug Policy, an organization with over 140 chapters against the drug war across the world, will be hosting its 10th Anniversary International Conference at the University of Maryland from November 21-23rd. Do your part to make a change and register today to connect with hundreds of students who understand the realities and believe in sensible drug policies focused on health and reasoning instead of racism and hysteria.

    After a full 10 years of contacting representatives, gathering signatures, writing articles, and spreading the outrage, Students for Sensible Drug Policy, along with hundreds of supporting organizations was sure their determined efforts would finally pay off and that Congressional leadership would follow through with their pledge to repeal the counterproductive Aid Elimination Penalty of the Higher Education Act. However, we have yet again been terribly deceived.

    If you’ve ever wondered why you’re asked about drug offenses when applying for federal financial aid through FAFSA, thank Representative Mark Souder (R-IN), who somehow managed to slip the AEP into the Higher Education Act in 1998 without any debate or vote. Since then, this amendment has denied over 200,000 students federal financial aid, and in turn access to education. While we assume the reasoning behind Souder’s action was that he thought it would decrease drug abuse, it’s done the exact opposite by forcing students to drop out of school, therefore increasing their risk of drug abuse and criminal activity.

    Regardless of the penalty's intentions, it has blatantly attacked hard-working students, people of color, and the lower and middle class. Since the FAFSA already requires satisfactory academic progress in order for a student to be eligible for federal financial aid, the AEP only affects hard-working students who have been doing well in school. While African-Americans make up a fairly small portion of the population, racial profiling leads to an absurdly disproportionate higher number of African-Americans arrested for drug offenses. And since middle and lower class families are depending solely on financial aid, it’s easy to see why wealthy families may not be too concerned.

    Many members of Congress who were on our side initially have informed us that they became terrified of facing negative attacks, fearing they’d be labeled as “pro-drug”. In reality,it is precisely the Aid Elimination Penalty they are supporting that continues to increase drug abuse and decrease education. Anybody who is against racial profiling, increasing drug abuse, and decreasing education should be against this penalty. Please fill out this pre-written letter and demand an explanation from your local legislators! Unless they hear from their constituents, they won’t realize what their people want and will continue to follow their misguided instincts.