How did the war on drugs affect the African American Community Term Paper

How did the war on drugs affect the African American Community - Term Paper Example Thesis statement: The war on drugs initiated by the US government affect the African American Community because it leads to further problems in the society. The war on drugs The war on drugs is initiated by the US government, aiming to conduct campaigns against production, supply and abuse of harmful drugs. Friman opines that â€Å"Among developed countries, the United States has adopted the strictest national control measures against illicit drugs and has played the most active role in international enforcement† (4). The war on drugs includes providing military support to reduce international level illegal drug trade. The National Prohibition Act of 1920, which prohibited the usage of alcohol, is to be considered as the initial step against the influence of harmful beverages. One can easily identify that this Act led to implementation of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 in USA. The establishment of Drug Enforcement Administration in the year 197 3 was another innovative step taken by the US government against drug abuse. In addition, the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970 paved the way for the the  National Narcotics Leadership Act of 1988, which created the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) under the US government. The ONDCP conducts a number of media campaigns among the youngsters to create awareness against drug abuse. In short, the war on drugs is a continuation of drug policy in the US. How did drugs affect the African American Community? Almost all the racial groups in the US face the problem of drug addiction and related issues. Comparing to other racial groups, the African American Communities face more problem from drugs.... The history of the African American Communities and their growth and development from slavery to freedom, gaining political, social and economic progress did not help much to fight against drugs. Besides, an individual’s gender, age and economic status are considerable factors which lead to drug addiction. From a different angle of view, the socioeconomic status is to be considered as a vital factor which leads an individual towards drug addiction. When this idea is superimposed into the context of drug addiction among the African American Communities, one can easily identify that poverty originating from socioeconomic disparity is the most important factor which leads to drug addiction. The war on drugs resulted in rapid increase of prison population because the law enforcement department became more active and vigilant. Within this context, more African Americans were imprisoned and it resulted in further problems. For instance, the law enforcement agencies targeted the low income communities (say, the African American Communities) in the lower strata of the society. Roberts opines that â€Å" Though whites, given their numerical superiority in the population, make up the majority of drug users, African Americans have been the chief targets by police† (30). The initiative undertaken by the US government reduced the negative influence of harmful drugs among the people but it affected the African American Communities. The grass root level cause of drug abuse or addiction among the African Americans is interconnected with their socio-economic status in the society. For instance, some of the African Americans consider drug abuse as an easy way to escape from the economic problems