Legalizing drugs
By
Com!spondent
"I blame a majority of the
youth problems on the drug
pushers, as, they offer an equal
incentive to other employment,
getting good education, and
wee Iy 110 ance," said
renowned educator and author
of "Conspir cy to Destroy .
Black Boys," Jawanza Kunjufu.
. ufu . the true chal-
lenge' re ofsee��'���hlwDJ"_lafa
provide quality employment
can compe e against drugs.
Kunjufu was the keynote
peaker on this topic at the two­
day Black Male Conference
sponsored by the Highland
Par Community College on
Thursday October 19 and
Friday October 20.
Kunjufu said Blac people
need to look at a new definition
of what it means to be BI c . He
said Black people think they can I
•
'�o longer be Black and live in
their present neighborhoods.
NEW DEFlNmON
He said when Blacks become
aware of the new definition of
what it means to be 'Black',
there may not be any Black
people left. He said they can no
longer litter, curse, fight, steal,
use or deal drugs where they
live.
Kunjufu said a Black brother
can move from one neighbor­
hood to another and in siJ
wee ' time be . . nated
into the negative ways of rhat
neighborhood.
"If we, a Blacks, Id
commit ourselves to the right
behavior no matter where W�
are, many of our problems
would be resolved," he said.
"Deal with po verty,
ou deel with drugs I
annual high-school dropout
rate for Blacks was 12%
statewide as compared to about
5% far whites. In employment,
Black youth were almo t four
times more likely to be un­
employed as white youth. In
Detroit, 91.4 percent out of
1,020 arrested for drug viol -
tions were Blac males
There is a strong correlation
between drug related crime and
unemployment, said Dr. Homer
C. Hawkins, Associate Profes­
sor of Urban Affairs and
criminal justice at Michigan
State University. I
"It's a money-making situa­
tion," Hawkins said. "When an
individual has no employment
there is a sense of hopeless- .
ne ."
H wkins said poor educa­
tion and a desire for material
. possessions are also factors in
driving inner-city youth to sell
drugs.
GOOD PA�G JOBS
OED
By Cb Murra)'
Captial News Service
LANSING,197 Dealing with
poverty, unemployment, and
high school dropout rates is the
key to winning the war against
drugs, ys Detroit' Director of
Substance Abuse Services.
Dr. James Sall, of the Detroit
Health Department, said these
inner-city problems rate con­
trlbute to the drug crisis in cities
like Detroit.
Significant numbers of drug
abuser are chool dropouts
ho are prone to pur ue a life of
drug abuse," Sall . d. "Many of
these people are victims of ex­
treme poverty.
VlCI'IMS ARE LAC
San id that while drug
· Dot entirely Blac
problem, most of the victims
end to be young Blac males
o are unemployed and have
opped out of school.
A report entitled the State of
B Michigan 1989, found the
Hawkins said that a high
school education must be broad
enough to include vocational
training to those who do not
wish to attend college. The jobs
. attained by individuals who
receive this education, Hawkins
said should pay enough money
o that there is no incentive to
buy or ell drugs. .
Donald Reisig, Michigan'
Drug Agencies Director, said
that poverty itself is not a cause
of drug abuse in the inner-city,
but it does aggravate the
. problem. The real problem, he
said, is that the inner city has
less resources for treatment
than the more affluent suburbs."
·Most Blacks get into' treat­
ment because of contact with
law enforcement. Middle class
whites come into trea .IDCnt be­
cause of family pur' and
because there are more resour-
ces available: Rei . d.
A three-pronged pproach
is needed to attac the drug
crisis focusing upon education,
See POVERTY, 10
The prereq ui . tes for the
new definition of Blackness and
giving back to the race are to
first love each other, as well as
respect and help each other. He
said there ould be at le two
hours of a 24 hour day that
hould be given back to the
Black race.
He said at some point Black
people will begin to produce
more good and services and
they eventually will be working
for their race, but for the
present two hours a day is su -
cient.
Kunjufu said those Blacks
who want to be great must learn .
to, utilize their time better . .H
said generally, the average per­
son spends 8 hours working,
DRUGS,P 1
