Before drugs flooded our communities, alcohol was the worst intoxicant black people used. Adults would go out on the town and drink, dance, and maybe gamble a little. Alcohol abuse did exist. However, alcohol indulgence allowed an adult to continue working and have some sort of sense of self. When drugs flooded our communities, it helped to destroy black people and our families. It seemed there were three choices: resist the urge, use, or sell to the community. Unfortunately, the choice to either use or sell was too powerful for many to resist.
To entice people to use, drugs became glamorized. It became fun and hip to use. Drug dealers could flash money, buy cars and women, leather and gold off the drug money. The party didn’t get started until you popped a pill or snorted a line. Rappers equated selling high quantities of drugs with being successful. Drugs these days are given cute names such as Molly, Esther, Snow, Woo-Woo, and Lean. Marijuana is no longer grown organically. These days, it’s manufactured in a lab and given enticing names and with higher potency. Weed is still the gateway to harder drugs because many people lace weed with other harder substances. For many, weed was the first drug addicts used before proceeding to harder drugs.
Men sold drugs for the quick money. In reality, they were killing themselves and the community. Most drug addicts were introduced to drugs by either a friend or a family member. It’s hard to resist when a friend or family member tells you to try it. They tell you to relax and have fun, that it’ll make you feel good. The problem is you don’t know you’re an addict until you try it. By then, it’s too late. These celebrities are dying from drug abuse. Some are undercover, while others don’t care and make material from it. They’re in and out of rehab and hospitals from near overdoses, but they never tell their fans to stay away from drugs. They will never denounce drugs.
In the 80’s, black community was filled with crack zombies. White society’s only concern was getting tougher on crime and putting black men in prison. Prison was the rehab for black people. Today, people try to hide their drug use and most don’t see until the cracks in their facades begin to show. We’ve had too many of our friends, family members, and celebrities destroyed by drugs. When will we as a society denounce drug use and drug abuse? Drugs mask the problem, it doesn’t cure anything. It’s not cool. It’s not fun. It is destructive. It is killing us.