Our politicians are campaigning extensively in support of legalizing recreation reefer. They are in total support of getting high. They started off by professing to be concerned about the unbelievable number of Blacks receiving maximum sentences for minimum amounts of marijuana. I am in total agreement and support that argument, however it is my absolute conviction that they could use their energy in a much more conducive manner to help those they profess to be concerned about to be able to get high on themselves.
How? Help persons become gainfully employed, send their children to college, buy a home, buy a car, own a business, afford these persons an opportunity to become part of the American Dream.
The state of Pennsylvania, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh are spending untold sums of money and the minorities’ share is practically non-existent. A billion dollars is being spent to rebuild the airport, $100 million in the Strip District, millions being spent on South Side, etc. The alleged programs that are supposed to help American Blacks are non-functioning and the elected officials focus on legalizing reefer. It’s obvious that these politicians have never spoken with persons such as Rev. Johnnie Monroe, because if they had, they would hear him saying, “the most important avenues in our lives is HOME first,” and when we can provide for our families, we can get high. We must install the belief in ourselves and our families and friends that synthetic drugs of any kind that are used to make you feel good (get high) are detrimental to our communities, families, and ourselves.
I was the co-founder of the first county-wide narcotic squad and witnessed drugs become a major problem that ran wild throughout the Black community. There are those who will argue that there is no correlation between marijuana and other more addictive drugs. If you believe that, you don’t know which way UP IS.
(Louis “Hop” Kendrick is a contributor to the New Pittsburgh Courier.)
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