Spend Money on Schools Instead of the War on Drugs - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com

Spend Money on Schools Instead of the War on Drugs - Room for Debate - NYTimes.com:

by Neill Franklin - Exec. Director - Law Enforcement Against Prohibition "Thanks to our ramped up "war on drugs," when I walk down the street in my old neighborhood I see houses where one or both parents are behind bars or on probation or parole.
Fifty-three percent of black boys never finish high school. Among those who drop out, 60 percent end up spending time behind bars. Even those who stay in school are seemingly being prepared for prison. Many schools treat kids as suspect from the moment they walk in the door, making them pass through metal detectors or administering urine tests as a condition of joining after-school clubs. Cops move about the schools like prison guards. It's like we're conditioning them for a life of incarceration.
Perhaps if we spent less money in a futile attempt to eliminate drug use through suspicion, arrests, prosecution and punishment, we could invest resources in improving our schools to ensure that more of our young people get the preparation they need to succeed.
Ending the drug war won't be a cure-all for racial disparities in our society, but it is a necessary first step."

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