Group Provides Black Perspective on Drug War

An umbrella group of African-American organizations is seeking to speak with a single voice on issues related to the drug war, including alternatives to treatment and mandatory sentences, the Baltimore Sun reported April 24.

The newly formed National African American Drug Policy Coalition involves groups like the Maryland Justice Coalition, the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives, and Breaking the Chains: Communities of Color and the War on Drugs. Leaders include Kurt Schmoke, the progressive former mayor of Baltimore. The group met this week in Washington, D.C., to map out a plan for changing drug laws that unfairly impact African-Americans.

"This is the second drug-policy conference I've been to in two months, but this is the first one I've ever been to that was publicly and unapologetically for and by African-Americans," said Tara Andrews of the Maryland Justice Coalition.  "People may say this is just another black group trying to do something for black folks, but I am encouraged that we have finally stepped up. We want to have a voice, and we want to have an impact on these policies."

Other issues the group hopes to tackle include the effect of drug policy on women and families, faith-based approaches to addiction, and underage drinking. The group plans to work in a small number of cities to lobby judges to choose treatment over prison for drug offenders, as well as urging national leaders to reform mandatory-minimum sentences.

Judge Arthur L. Burnett of Washington, D.C., is the the group's executive director. "I've heard people call us a stealth organization; no one really understands what we're about," he said. "They say it's a talk group. But we're not. We have muscle and we're making change happen."