Ted Talk 2: Carl Hart
Let’s Stop Abusing Drugs March 19, 2017
Carl Hart is a former drug use/seller from the mean streets of Miami who is now a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Columbia University. He is known for his research/studies in the field drugs. Mr. Hart believed he could solve the drug problem but changed his mind as he became more educated about the drug problem.
Mr. Hart found out that the crack cocaine laws of the 80’s were unfair when compared to the powder cocaine laws of the same year. The punishment for crack was a hundred times harder (a five-year minimum for possession) than powder cocaine! In the 80’s, 80% of blacks were convicted under this law. Crack and powder are virtually the same drug, they both raise …show more content…
When the study offered five dollars in cash or some meth, about 50% of the meth users chose the cash over the drugs. The cash amount was raised to 20 dollars for the meth users and almost all the addicts chose the money cash, proving that an attractive alternative such as money deceases drugs use and that addiction does not increase crime.
Now with Mr. Hart’s enlightenment he has changed his plan to solve the drug problem and change the way that drugs laws are targeted at certain racial demographic groups while changing the culture of said groups. His idea to use attractive alternatives such as employment, is nothing new, but first you must have the majority, want the jobs that are attainable. I’m all for the decriminalization of a victimless crime, long overdue. I Science should drive the drug policy/education, who would know more about chemicals/drugs than a scientist
Misuse of drugs will always be a problem for the abusers but not always the problem of a criminal act. I agree with Mr. Hart that drugs are not the whole problem, so let’s keep the recreational users safe, he research has shown that poverty, unemployment, ignorance, selective drug law enforcement and dismissal of science around drugs play an important part in this drug
Let’s Stop Abusing Drugs March 19, 2017
Carl Hart is a former drug use/seller from the mean streets of Miami who is now a professor of psychology and psychiatry at Columbia University. He is known for his research/studies in the field drugs. Mr. Hart believed he could solve the drug problem but changed his mind as he became more educated about the drug problem.
Mr. Hart found out that the crack cocaine laws of the 80’s were unfair when compared to the powder cocaine laws of the same year. The punishment for crack was a hundred times harder (a five-year minimum for possession) than powder cocaine! In the 80’s, 80% of blacks were convicted under this law. Crack and powder are virtually the same drug, they both raise …show more content…
When the study offered five dollars in cash or some meth, about 50% of the meth users chose the cash over the drugs. The cash amount was raised to 20 dollars for the meth users and almost all the addicts chose the money cash, proving that an attractive alternative such as money deceases drugs use and that addiction does not increase crime.
Now with Mr. Hart’s enlightenment he has changed his plan to solve the drug problem and change the way that drugs laws are targeted at certain racial demographic groups while changing the culture of said groups. His idea to use attractive alternatives such as employment, is nothing new, but first you must have the majority, want the jobs that are attainable. I’m all for the decriminalization of a victimless crime, long overdue. I Science should drive the drug policy/education, who would know more about chemicals/drugs than a scientist
Misuse of drugs will always be a problem for the abusers but not always the problem of a criminal act. I agree with Mr. Hart that drugs are not the whole problem, so let’s keep the recreational users safe, he research has shown that poverty, unemployment, ignorance, selective drug law enforcement and dismissal of science around drugs play an important part in this drug