Posted on 04/11/2015 9:38:43 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., formally launched his presidential campaign Tuesday with a speech in Louisville. Among the notable quotes from Paul's speech was a comment seemingly meant to raise minority support by calling for reform of federal drug laws that disproportionately lead to incarceration of black Americans.
"I see an America where criminal justice is applied equally and any law that disproportionately incarcerates people of color is repealed," Paul said.
Paul went on to address other topics without expanding much on what kinds of laws he meant. But given his past comments, it's not hard to guess he was talking about the war on drugs. "The war on drugs has become the most racially disparate outcome that you have in the entire country," Paul said in November 2014. "Our prisons are full of black and brown kids. Three-fourths of the people in prison are black or brown."
Lauren Galik, the Director of Criminal Justice Reform at Reason Foundation, said she was excited to hear a Republican presidential candidate campaigning on drug reform. "More than half of our federal prison population right now is there for drugs, many of which are African-American," Galik told the Washington Examiner. "African Americans are more likely to receive a sentence that carries a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment than white individuals."
Mandatory minimums disproportionately affect African American criminals compared to whites and Hispanics. "Although Black offenders in 2012 made up 26.3 percent of drug offenders convicted of an offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty, they accounted for 35.2 percent of the drug offenders still subject to that mandatory minimum at sentencing," according to the United States Sentencing Commission, an independent federal agency.
(Excerpt) Read more at m.washingtonexaminer.com ...
Opposite - it's the War on Drugs that says government must protect people from their own poor choices.
Just out of curiosity, has the drug trade ceased in Colorado and Washington?
Excessive taxes on marijuana have left the black market a foothold - however, "Legal Pot In The U.S. May Be Undercutting Mexican Marijuana": http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3233390/posts
Has petty crime related to the drug trade gone down?
There has been a statistically significant drops in burglary and theft from motor vehicle, and statistically insignificant fluctuations in other crimes: http://www.denvergov.org/Portals/720/documents/statistics/2014/UCR_Citywide_Reported%20_Offenses_2014.pdf
Facts like that won’t stop Ken from saying the same lie over and over.
It’s obvious why he keep doing it too.
One cannot say this and be a conservative
Correct and I never said otherwise, but what's that got to do with what I wrote?
I say one can be for legalizing pot at the federal level, like Ted Cruz, and still be a conservative. Agreed?
Exactly wrong - for most of those ten generations there were no laws against drugs.
Yup.
Busted.
Pot criminalization is failing your grandchildren; teens have been reporting for years that they can get pot more easily than cigarettes or beer - which stands to reason, since only sellers of legal goods have incentive to 'card' buyers.
Is he for legalizing pot at the federal level, yes or no?
If you are going to post something about someone else, please make sure it is an honest representation.
You should look in the mirror when you say that.
bump
Same question. Is Cruz for legalizing pot at the federal level, yes or no?
I do know one can be against it and still be conservative.
Wow, that is simply amazing. So, by that logic, we should be giving our kids pot! lol
I’m merely addressing biology. Of course corrupt politicians use them to the damage of all.
His creepy dad toured the talk shows in 1991 claiming that the use of A9 armored bulldozers and tanks with plow attachments to clear trench lines in Desert Storm constituted war crimes. He also had a written statement to that effect in the newsletter he mailed out back then.
Wrong Paul is a guy who will pander to the Code Pink crowd.
It’s not going to be forgotten.
Rand doesn’t appear to have dropped out too far from the bull.
So, by that logic, we should be giving our kids pot! lol
No, liar by omission, by that logic those who are genuinely concerned about youth's access to drugs should support policies that minimize that access - which criminalization for adults fails to do.
Laws against carjacking are obviously on the list. And of course, knock-out game. We've got to legalize the knock-out game like YESTERDAY.
Can’t deny the twit is polling well so far.
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