Thanks to our ramped up "war on drugs," when I walk in my old neighborhood I see houses where one or both parents are behind bars or on probation or parole. It didn't use to be that way.
Our prohibition policies, and the "us vs. the man" mentality they have caused in our communities, have badly damaged how young black men are perceived -- and not just by white people. As an African-American narcotics cop in Baltimore, even I fell victim to fear and apprehension when I encountered a group of black teenagers on the street. Making drugs like marijuana illegal has made them incredibly lucrative, and it's not hard to see why many teenagers choose to enlist in the dope game and play for the chance at moving up the chain and raking in tax-free money rather than donning a McDonald's uniform.
