This article is an interesting example of how the presumed context for a story influences its emphasis. In America, it is automatic to look for racial differences, and to ignore the reality of drug prohibition, and especially the connection between alcohol and violence. With one major exception, illicit drug use, most of the differences between the groups is close to the survey's margin of error. In other words, most of the differences between groups are insignificant or non-existent, so most of the real news here is in the high levels of alcohol use and violence in all the groups . By playing up non-existent differences between the groups and ignoring the implications of the differences of reported hard drug usage, this article obscures the most important points.
Blacks report by far the lowest levels of illicit drug use of any group.
Now they may also be the group that is the least trusting of the process and therefore the least willing to give honest answers to such questions. Nonetheless, the disparity between cocaine use rates in these responses and the race of cocaine prisoners is not likely to increase blacks' confidence in the system. If these survey numbers are even close to being accurate, the racial disparity of the impact of the drug laws is even worse than imagined. See The Media Switch From Promiscuity To Prostitution. Almost one of every five carries a weapon or drives after drinking.