It’s safe to say, in the era of Trump, it’s not shocking to hear a politician blatantly use race to defend a point. Kansas State Rep. Steve Alford, went over and above to use race as to why citizens of Kansas should say no to cannabis. I’ll give you a hint, it’s the fault of the Blacks.
Per Leafly
Alford said during the Saturday night gathering in Garden City, KS, were “users” who responded especially poorly to cannabis because of their “genetics” and “character makeup.”
Basically any way you say it, marijuana is an entry drug into the higher drugs,” Alford said in response to a suggestion that legalization could raise money for the state of Kansas. “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 said. “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.”
By Monday, word of Alford’s “explanation” had leaked to the press, and the backpedaling began.
“I was wrong, I regret my comments and I sincerely apologize to anyone whom I have hurt,” Alford said in a statement.
Alford’s apology will fall on deaf ears I’m sure. Who he really owes an apology to is UCLA Coach Steve Alford. I can imagine the questions he’s answering today via social media.
Also, if you start a sentence with “I hate to say it,” don’t say it.
Watch the other Steve Alford speak about African-Americans and their use of the weed below