Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) has introduced a resolution in the House of Representatives that would acknowledge the war on drugs has failed. Watson Coleman filed the measure, House Resolution 933, on Tuesday. More than two dozen additional Representatives have also added their names as sponsors of the legislation.
Watson Coleman noted that the government is addressing the current opioid crisis differently than previous drug issues.
“The War on Drugs didn’t just fail to stem the damage of addiction, its very declaration failed to meet the values of equality and justice our nation was founded on,” she said in a release. “Congress has rightly decided to tackle the opioid epidemic with evidence-based policies that seek to solve the issue of addiction. But for years, we criminalized addiction in ways that caused irreparable harm not just to users, but their families, neighborhoods, and communities. As we offer up funding and resources to address the disease of addiction among overwhelmingly White users, we must acknowledge our failures to do the same with victims of color.”
The resolution specifically calls on Congress to admit the War on Drugs has failed to reduce drug use. It also offers an apology to victims of the failed policy.
“To acknowledge that the War on Drugs has been a failed policy in achieving the goal of reducing drug use, and for the House of Representatives to apologize to the individuals and communities that were victimized by this policy,” it reads.
Resolution Details Racial Bias
Rep. Watson Coleman’s resolution also details racial bias and propaganda that have fueled drug prohibition. It notes that in 1937, Federal Bureau of Narcotics Commissioner Harry J. Anslinger was openly racist in congressional testimony.
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