The Marriage of Race and Drugs

Throughout the video on Tuesday, I couldn't help but be troubled by the stereotyping of certain drugs to certain races. Opium was criminalized as a Chinese drug, and not to be trusted. Then cocaine arrived on the seen as an African American drug that leads to licentiousness. Thereafter, marijuana has a Mexican stereo type that is furthered fueled by illegal smuggling today. After reflecting on these narcotics, it baffled me that we do not include tobacco. Why isn't tobacco included in a list of illegal drugs if it has more medical issues associated with it and is more addictive? The question of legality leads me to the law and the maker of the laws. In a society that favors the power structure for whites, Americans and Europeans alike, would tobacco considered the drug of choice? Was it too economically devastating to outlaw the Southern cash crop? Furthermore, how does race contribute to the conversation regarding the legality and prosecution of drugs? Has tobacco received favor because of the race and power of the people represented? Overall, my concern is with how race colors the availability and legal sanctions of certain drugs over others. In class we discussed the disparity between  charges for crack cocaine vs. powder cocaine, favoring whites. Additionally, how whites have used all of these narcotic drugs, yet remained in a cage of support, privilege, and continue to utilize the drug at their leisure. Am I out of line or is tobacco the favored son of all drugs because of who holds the profits? In the movie, "What the drugs haven't destroyed the war on drugs has" is so evident in the criminal justice system has undermined the integrity, health, and prospects of potential illegal drug users, addicts, and dealers. This should be a question of rehabilitation. Back to tobacco, movies like Thank You For Smoking parody the problems tobacco poses and how tobacco has been adopted in the eyes of our culture. Am I out of line to make this comparison or is this another questionable policy to enforce racism and discrimination?