DRUG WAR HAS TURNED INTO RACE, CLASS CONFLICT

(U-WIRE) EAST LANSING, Mich. -- I'm sure when you light up that pipe full
of fresh new buds from the guy next door, who knew some kid in Colorado,
who got stuff vacuum-sealed from Afghanistan, you didn't think you were
participating in a war.

No, of course not.

Your actions of drug use are only to bring "peace" into the world and
produce a bond amongst friends, right? Well, in actuality, you are an
attributing factor to this so-called "drug war" taking place in our
country, or better off, on our planet.

My mind was opened to a different angle the other night after viewing one
of the new releases in the box office, titled "Traffic." And -- as if the
months I had stayed away from the cinemas because of my arrogant film taste
were well worth it -- this film surpassed my expectations.

It brought not only to my attention, but to those oblivious or unaware of
its strongholds, the power of drugs. As strong as the weapons our planet
ignites to cease control over "the enemies," drugs seem to obtain this same
power.

However, in this case, "the enemies" have the power. It seems drugs can
only be looked at as the butt of the cause of war within humanity. Well,
this war within humanity has not simply entered our species, but has
stepped into a race and class war as well.

This multifaceted topic of the "drug war," however, isn't as simple as
tackling a conflict with just two sides: us, the "humane" citizens of the
United States of America, vs. them, our enemies in the foreign countries
who sneak in bliss-filling toxins to make people forget about the stress in
their lives or let out the "anger."

No, this isn't simple at all. Its complexities come from the fact that
although the United States' priorities of this war are to combat drug
dealers, its combat also becomes that of race against race, or class
against class.

Perhaps the most fascinating anecdote to this movie about the drug war was
who actually won. In this case, it was the drug suppliers themselves. Is
this not an awakening to the forces who try to stop drugs from entering our
"humane" territory? The battle of the drug war has -- if not equally
powerful sides -- drug suppliers and dealers who so often get frowned upon
for their uncivilized, uneducated and criminal acts, but who have more
power than the "good guys."

"Traffic" exhibited to me a war between classes and races -- our melting
pot of America has supposedly boiled over. When really, the United States'
white governmental supremacists who struggle through this war against the
"others" are simply rehabilitating the stomped-over white-bread America our
diverse country has taken so long to dissolve.

My analysis of this situation doesn't come from facts in the news or
television. It comes from the personal experience I have from living in
Lansing's south side. My observations of the life around me were implanted
into my own analysis of this film.

From living in a lower-class area of Lansing, I've become aware of the
outstanding availability of drug users' paraphernalia, which is sold in
party stores and gas stations; either hidden from view behind the counter
or subliminally hidden from the average customer's view.

For instance, you know those roses in plastic tubes at gas stations? Well,
in some cases, those plastic tubes are used as crack pipes by crack
addicts. However, this availability drastically changes as one travels to
different areas of Lansing, where different classes reside.

The availability seems to depend on the class majority of that section of
Lansing, in this case being the lower class. However, this doesn't mean
everyone in this area is a drug user.

It does link the two together -- drugs and lower classes -- in turn,
producing another dimension to the drug war by including class as an
identification method of the drug users. Lower-class citizens are then
pigeonholed under an assumed role in the drug war as drug users or dealers,
while there are as many upper-class citizens participating in these roles
as well.

This is where I began to acknowledge the drug war as also a racist war
between upper-class whites and the "others." And this is where I became
unsure of what side to take in this war. Although I am not an avid drug
user, I do find myself inclined to sympathize with a group that has been
accused or assumed because of its race or class.

Now, after reading this column, and hopefully being enlightened to a new
point of view, your drug habits may take on different meaning to you. You
might not have realized how your daily rituals contribute to this world war.

Be it World War III, or just a party, your contribution to this war makes
you the "other" in a country where we are all supposed to belong.