A Kansas Republican finally admitted on Monday that it was “wrong” to say African-Americans are more likely to get hooked on marijuana because of “their genetics.”
State Rep. Steve Alford caused outrage after a video recording revealed that he delivered the false and racist assessment during an event about marijuana legislation over the weekend.
“What you really need to do is go back in the ‘30s when they outlawed all types of drugs in Kansas, across the United States, what was the reason they did that?” Alford said during the event, which was caught on video by a Garden City Telegram reporter.
“One of the reasons why, I hate to say it, the African-Americans, they were basically users,” Alford continued. “They basically responded the worst off those drugs just because (of) their character makeup, their genetics, and that.”
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Alford’s inaccurate comments drew upon a racist myth originally perpetuated by Harry Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, who in the 1930s said marijuana causes “darkies” to think “they’re as good as white men.” Anslinger also infamously said that marijuana makes white women “seek sexual relations with n—–s.”
Extensive federal research disproves Alford’s claim. A 2016 study by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health actually noted that white people were slightly more likely than black people to meet diagnostic criteria for substance-abuse disorder.
While some research suggests that marijuana precedes other drug use, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that a majority of marijuana users do move on to harder drugs.
(Mathew Sumner/AP)
Amid scathing criticism, Alford walked back his comments on Monday afternoon. But the lawmaker insisted that Kansas should keep marijuana illegal because it supposedly serves as a gateway to harder drugs.
“I was wrong, I regret my comments, and I sincerely apologize to anyone whom I have hurt,” Alford said a statement. “Substance abuse is a blight on our society, and legalizing marijuana opens the door to harder drugs. I have seen firsthand how drug abuse destroys lives, even within my own family, and I remain committed to fighting the spread of addiction in our state.”
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While some research suggests that marijuana precedes other drug use, the National Institute on Drug Abuse has found that a majority of marijuana users do not move on to harder drugs.
Earlier in the day, Alford came out swinging against accusations of racism, blaming the whole matter on a man advocating for marijuana legalization at the meeting.
“They’re the one that brought the racial part in,” Alford told reporters on the steps of the state capitol in Topeka. “And he came up and told me I’m a racist…I’m about as far from being a racist as I can get.”
