re: Obama on school discipline

quote:

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The disparity in how illegal drug using blacks are treated relative to whites is well documented.

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Link?

I agree that the disparity between the way crack is treated, vice powder cocaine has a disparate effect (and really makes no sense) - but this would be true if we used a class filter, as well. Poor whites would be caught in this conundrum, just as wealthier blacks would benefit from this disparate treatment - the policy itself (although nonsensical) is color blind in both construction and application - albeit the discriminatory effect is undeniable.

But that is an exception. Marijuana is not even associated with a particular social class today - it can be argued that high profile African American proponents (hip hop, NBA, etc.) have pushed legalization efforts far further than white proponents such as Willie Nelson and Woody Harrelson.

Prescription pill abuse is another issue that knows no racial boundary - if anything laws targeting this abuse have a disproportionate effect on whites. Ditto for crystal meth (at least until recently.)