A Kansas Republican lawmaker just shocked the civilized world by actually saying out lout the backwards racist thoughts he absolutely should have kept to himself.
State Representative Steve Alford revived a Jim Crow era myth that African Americans are genetically incapable of tolerating marijuana, and that that’s why it was outlawed in the 1930s.
The audience in attendance consisted entirely of white people.
Watch Rep. Alford articulate this particular misconception.
According to the Garden City Telegram, Alford was referencing the 1930s position of Harry Anslinger, who founded the Federal Bureau of Narcotics.
“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? 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,” Alford said.
This was a loose paraphrase of Anslinger in 1937, who said, “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”
Attorney General Jeff Sessions has been very vocal about his opposition to legalized marijuana, even after six states have passed legislation to legalize the drug for recreation and medical use.
Alford appears to be lining up right behind the backwards Attorney General on the wrong side of history, reigniting the war on drugs and doing nothing good for anyone.