CHICAGO (AP) — At least a dozen community and social-action groups are sponsoring a rally calling for an end to the U.S. "war on drugs."
It marks the 40th anniversary of the declaration by
then-President Richard Nixon.
The rally will be in Chicago's Loop on Friday at
the James R. Thompson Center.
A study by the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy
at Roosevelt University shows the state ranks first in the disparity among
whites and blacks locked up for drug possession.
Consortium director Kathleen Kane-Willis says the
rally will focus on facing the drug problem as a public-health menace, not a
criminal one that stigmatizes users and hurts their chances to be productive in
society.
Organizers say the event will coincide with similar
gatherings around the country.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
