Sometimes, a state legislator just.. well, they just walk into it. Rep. Alford, who represents a community with a large minority population, gave an interesting answer as to why marijuana is not legal in a town hall on Saturday.
www.gctelegram.com/...
“Basically any way you say it, marijuana is an entry drug into the higher drugs,” Alford 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 States.
“What was the reason why they did that?” he continued to a crowd of about 60 people, none of whom were black. “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. And so basically what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to do a complete reverse with people not remembering what has happened in the past.”
That’s right. Marijuana, you see, is illegal because persons of color are genetically unprepared to handle the drug (!!!)
Video of Alford’s handling of the situation is here:
As the Garden City Telegram points out, this logic has a root — and Alford steps right into it:
From 1930 to 1937, Anslinger campaigned for prohibition against the use of the cannabis plant. He postulated that marijuana caused crime and violence, saying, “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”
Anslinger also said the primary reasoning for marijuana prohibition was founded in the prevention of “its effect on the degenerate races.”
When contacted, the representative has doubled down, contending he shouldn’t have “singled out blacks” but that the problem is real, and that’s why he would be opposed.
Moderate Republicans John Doll (R-Garden City, Senate), defended Alford, saying he was “not a racist man,”. I’m sure he has several persons of color as friends on the Republican aisle in the state house, too.
Tuesday, Jan 9, 2018 · 1:54:02 AM +00:00 · Chris Reeves
www.kansascity.com/…
Update: Alford offers an apology, while blaming those who pointed out his comment was racist, and John Doll (R-Garden City) Senator says he wouldn’t have made those remarks but..
“I was wrong, I regret my comments, and I sincerely apologize to anyone whom I have hurt,” Alford said in the statement. “Substance abuse is a blight on our society, and legalizing marijuana only 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.”
Earlier Monday, before he issued the apology, Alford had defended himself while speaking with reporters outside of the House chamber. He initially declined to comment on the racial aspects of his remarks.
But he continued speaking and answered multiple questions. He said an advocate for marijuana legalization at the event “really kind of brought the whole thing up.”
“They’re the one that brought the racial part in,” he said.
After repeated questions, he said: “And he came up and told me I’m a racist,” Alford said. “I’m about as far from being a racist as I can get.”
Zach Worf, chairman of the Finney County Democrats, confirmed that he had asked the question. He also said he spoke to Alford after the meeting.
“I said, ‘That was the most racist thing I’ve ever heard anybody say and I will make it a point for your constituents to know exactly what your thoughts were here today,’ ” Worf said he told Alford.
Sen. John Doll, a Garden City Republican, was at the event where Alford made the comments. Doll said he knows Alford very well and he’s “not a racist.”
“But what he said, I disagree with adamantly,” Doll said. “Hopefully he didn’t mean it how it sounded.”
It is amazing how all of these non-racists somehow say, and think, some terribly racist things. Just a fluke, I suppose. Happens all the time for people who are completely not-racist.