Why is it Americans who are poor are the people getting in trouble most often for marijuana?

Stereotypes role in the punishment of drug users

When you think of marijuana smokers, who do you picture as someone who smokes all the time? Keep the picture of that person who uses marijuana regularly in your mind or write it down if you need to.

Stereotyping is a thought process that organizes beliefs about one group of people and assigns them to everyone in that group.

The following list is not meant to offend anyone - these are merely examples (NOT MY OPINIONS) of common stereotypes to illustrate what a stereotype is for those who don't have a clear understanding of the term.

Common stereotypes include:

• All Black people are lazy.
• All White people are Racists.
• All Italians are in the Mob,
• All Irishman are drunks.
• All Republicans are against the "working man"
• All southerners are rednecks and dim-witted.
• All Chinese people are good at math.
• All Jocks are stupid.
• All Blondes are ditzy.
• Women who dress provocatively are easy.
• All women with really short hair are lesbians.
• All truck drivers are on speed.
• All Motorcyclists are Hells Angels.
• All Hispanics are illegal aliens.
• All Muslims are terrorists.
• All judges are honest.
• All Lawyers are crooks.
• All homeless are that way by choice.
• Anyone who has been convicted of a crime will never be rehabilitated and will always continue to commit crimes.

Understanding stereotypes and the role they play in our lives

Just because many people whom are also Chinese are good at math does not mean that every person whom is Chinese is good at math. You are drawing conclusions about a group of people that really has no facts to support it. The two may be correlated, but it is very unlikely they are 100% related.

So, when I asked you to picture who you saw as a person who smokes marijuana regularly it wouldn't surprise me if you said a black male. Or a college student. 



Stereotypes are common and it's okay to have them - but you must realize why we have them and use them in appropriate ways. 

Stereotypes of African Americans go beyond just words

Society today has cast such an ugly stereotype upon people of African American heritage - that they are either drug users or dealers and as a result they are the ones ending up in jails for even the smallest of crimes. 



However 9% of all white Americans smoke marijuana regularly, and many are in the middle and upper class. (And they are not just college students either). But because many hold to common misconception that it is the black Americans who are smoking all the reefer, they are the ones targeted by law enforcement and thrown into correctional institutions. 

More often than not if a white American gets in trouble for having some marijuana in their possession they are barely given a slap on the wrist. Put the same African American male in that position and he is either put in jail or has to attend court for his case, resulting in a large amount of fines that could wind up taking him years to pay off. 



Whether you agree with me or not, this topic is just something to think about - I wanted to bring it up after reading an article on Alternet, "Class War: Why Poor Parents Are More Likely to Get Busted for Pot".

This is an issue we need to address in the near future - it is not fair for us to use stereotypes to punish people for crimes other groups of people are also committing. Next time you find yourself stereotyping someone because of their sex, gender, or heritage... stop and think about it. Is it really helping me any to judge someone just because of who they are or the way they look?