Banning marijuana from the Olympics, but not alcohol, is just a tiny microcosm of the disproportionate drug sentencing along racial lines that have hit minority cultures for over a century.
In the early 20th century, pot was perceived by American lawmakers as a drug only used by Mexican immigrants. As such, the sentencing was always disproportionately harsher than that for “white person drugs” like pills or alcohol. No matter the physiological effects.
American drug sentencing has always been as much about “who” than “what.” It explains the wildly dissimilar sentencing guidelines for crack and powder cocaine. Powder was seen as party drug for rich white people. Crack is not seen that way. The sentencing fully reflects that.
For the record, I’m not saying this IOC rule is necessarily race-based or that she didn’t break the existing rules. Someone posted “why pot & not alcohol?” And I commented on the historic inequity in how marijuana & booze are viewed. And the race-based roots of those distinctions
My point is an incredibly simple one:
Two substances with similar pharmacological/ physiological impacts can be perceived differently by lawmakers. And one of the factors considered, like it or not, is who has historically consumed that substance.
Two substances with similar pharmacological/ physiological impacts can be perceived differently by lawmakers. And one of the factors considered, like it or not, is who has historically consumed that substance.
I’ve noticed some people rephrasing my argument to turn it into something ugly. I’m 100% not saying “only people of color use marijuana.” I am saying that we still have seemingly anachronistic rules because these rules have antecedents in laws based on archaic racial stereotyping
This is why it’s hard to have any discussion on Twitter. People twist your argument into the opposite of what you’re saying, then people react to the faux argument. Much gratitude to those who’ve at least responded in good faith, not intentionally misconstruing my intent. 🙏
I wish I could cite specific laws and cases, but I’m a sitcom writer, not a legal scholar. At Brown, I did write a 35 page paper on Race-Based Disparities in American Drug Sentencing. But there’s little chance that “treatise” hasn’t turned to dust in my garage.
Once again, nowhere did I say or suggest only Black people smoke pot. I did say that attitudes that shaped anti-marijuana laws and restrictions often had a racial component. In the beginning, that was mostly likely to be anti-Latino attitudes.
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