DRUG BUSTS IN BLACK AND WHITE

Bridgeport Mayor John M. Fabrizi: admitted cocaine use;
sought drug treatment on his own; so far, no criminal charges.

Representative Patrick J. Kennedy: addiction to
prescription medicines; sentenced to drug treatment for
driving under the influence of prescription drugs.

Rush Limbaugh: painkiller addiction; granted leniency
for prescription-drug fraud in exchange for undergoing
treatment for drug addiction; possession of Viagra
under someone else's name may change this sentence.

Reviewing these cases, one might be led to believe that the norm is
for non-violent drug abusers to receive drug treatment instead of
incarceration. This is not the case. America's "war on drugs" policies
have led to a massive increase in the number of non-violent drug
offenders in our prisons. In 1986, 8.6 percent of state prisoners were
incarcerated for drug offenses. In 2002, 21.4 percent were, although
there was no increase in the rates of illicit drug use. In absolute
numbers, over 200,000 more people are in state prison for drug
offenses today than in the mid-1980s.

So, how did the individuals above avoid incarceration? For one,
Fabrizi, Kennedy and Limbaugh are certainly not in poverty. They are
also white. People from all walks of life have used illegal drugs and
have become addicted to them. The "war on drugs" affects people of all
races, but it hurts non-whites most severely. In 2002, 15 percent of
white prisoners, 25 percent of black prisoners and 27 percent of
Hispanic prisoners were in state prisons for drug offenses.

Minorities are also more likely to serve longer sentences when
convicted. The Sentencing Project reports, "Black and Latino
defendants tend to be sentenced more severely than comparably situated
white defendants for less serious crimes, especially drug and property
crimes."

Drug arrests within drug-free zones are subject to a harsher sentence.
In a number of states, schools, parks and public housing projects and
an area typically about 1,000 feet around those entities have been
designated drug-free zones. In Connecticut, the area is 1,500 feet.
The point: keep drugs away from kids.

The problem: In cities such as New Haven, nearly every square foot
ends up being a drug-free zone. Since minority populations are
concentrated in cities, their drug arrests are much more likely to be
subject to drug-free-zone penalties.