KANSAS OFFICIAL: BLACKS “GENETICALLY ILL-EQUIPPED”
Cynics tend to think the worst of people. Actually, they tend to think the worst of everything. But one Kansas lawmaker is trying his damnedest to make cynics feel normal. Kansas State Rep. Steve Alford recently saw fit to regurgitate some of the most racist historic positions on marijuana and African Americans the country has ever seen. Alford spoke out about how Marijuana needs to remain illegal. Because blacks are genetically ill-equipped to handle using it. No, really. He said that. But the Kansas official also said he’s not a racist.
NO MEDICAL MARIJUANA AS BLACKS WILL SUCCUMB TO WEAK CHARACTER
Alford’s comments seem to be an effort to keep marijuana completely illegal in the state of Kansas. Kansas is one of the few remaining states that has no form of medical marijuana at all. But his disgusting comments come from a particularly ugly time in American history. Alford is trying to bring back some of the ugliest ideas from a man named Harry Anslinger. Anslinger was the founding commissioner of what was originally called the Federal Bureau of Narcotics. That was the bureau that pushed for the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937. There is an ugly, ugly tradition at work here. And this Kansas Official wants to keep it alive.
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KANSAS REP’S VIEWS FROM JIM CROW ERA FEDERAL AGENCY
But Alford’s words speak for themselves. He said, “What you really need to do is go back in the ’30s, when they outlawed all types of drugs in Kansas [and] across the United State. One of the reasons why, I hate to say it, was that the African-Americans, they were basically users and they basically responded the worst off to those drugs just because of their character makeup, their genetics and that.” What is character makeup, anyway? But he knows what he’s doing.
DISGUSTING HISTORY SHOULD STAY IN THE PAST, NOT REPEATED
Disgusting, right? There shouldn’t be any place for those sentiments, now or ever. Alford is clearly looking back at Anslinger’s theories which heavily influenced the federal agency. And that agency was the origin for racist quotes like “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.” That’s a pretty confederate thing to say, right? But how about this one? They also said that smoking weed would allow black men to have sex with white women. No, really. The agency’s quote on that is quite specific.
MARIJUANA MAKES WHITE GIRLS HAVE SEX WITH BLACK MEN
“There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others.” This is what a federal agency publicly declared. All in the name to criminalize marijuana. But marijuana arrests are big business in many American states. Arresting black people certainly is, in every American state.
MUST PROTECT KANSAS FROM MEDICAL MARIJUANA, BECAUSE BLACKS
Crazy, right? It’s almost like the federal agency was racist. And it’s almost like the push to criminalize marijuana was based on stoked xenophobia. It’s too bad that the Kansas official is bringing it all back again. But he’ll do whatever he has to, to keep medical marijuana away from Kansans. Alford stood by his remarks after the meeting where he aired them. But later he was unable to cite any scientific source for his genetic comments. The most Alford would backtrack was that he shouldn’t have singled out black people. Get the logic? It’s not that blacks aren’t genetically inferior. It’s that I said it out loud, just about them. Alford seems ill-equipped to represent all of his constituents. Maybe his genes are on too tight.
REP SAYS HE’S NOT A RACIST, COMMENTS ARE “NEUTRAL”
“There are certain groups of people, their genetics, the way their makeup is, the chemicals will affect them differently. What I should have said was drugs affect people differently, instead of being more specific.” That’s mighty white of him, huh? Days later he insisted that his comments weren’t racist. “To me, that’s neutral. Basically, I got called a racist, which I’m really not, and it’s just the way people — the interpretation of people. To me, I’m trying to look at what’s really the best for Kansas.”
RACIST TALE WAGS THE DOG
That’s a racist dog whistle. Alford is trying to look as what’s really best for white racists in Kansas. Or at least what he thinks is best for white racists. Anyone still think America is post-racial? There’s a reason Dorothy isn’t in Kansas anymore. Maybe she was genetically ill-equipped to handle the bullshit.
