Rep. Steve Alford (R-Ulysses) caused side-eyes among legislative Democrats and Republicans alike due to the "racist" nature of his recent comments during a Legislative Coffee session on Saturday.
According to The Garden City Telegram, Alford cited "specific makeup" and "genetics" as the reasoning behind African-Americans being more "susceptible" to marijuana use. His statements were countering Zach Worf, president of the Finney County Democrats, who claimed that marijuana legalization could be financially beneficial to Kansas.
“Basically any way you say it, marijuana is an entry drug into the higher drugs,” said Alford. “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. “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.”
Alford was referring to the founding commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics (FBN), Harry Anslinger and the Marijuana Tax Act of 1937, which was established under Anslinger's leadership. Anslinger was highly for cannabis prohibition once noting, “Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”
“There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the U.S., and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz and swing result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers and any others,” Anslinger was once quoted as stating.
After the session concluded, Worf said he felt like he went back in time and told Alford that his comments were “the most racist thing [he had] ever heard.”
A 2012 American Medical Association study concluded that marijuana could have a wide range of effects on people, regardless of race and the reasoning behind it are still not understood.
“As to genetics, I can’t say I agree with that at all. As to going back to the 1930s as reason, I wasn’t alive then so I don’t know anything about that. As to the racial component, I don’t agree with it,” said Rep. John Wheeler (R-Garden City), adding, “I know Rep. Alford quite well. He’s not a racist man.”
Alford doubled-down on his comments, but did mention that he shouldn't have singled out African-Americans. “There are certain groups of people, their genetics, the way their makeup is, the chemicals will affect them differently,” noted Alford. “That’s what I should have said was drugs affect people differently instead of being more specific.”
