The current paper will use intersectionality and standpoint theories to examine the social impact of solely relying on Eurocentric worldviews when developing drug policies that affect low-income African-American communities.

Such distrust plays a strong role in hindering this population from seeking and engaging in health-related services ( Eloise Dunlap & Johnson, 1992). Low-income African-Americans also report feeling suspicious of governmental or formal institutions because of historical abuses they have endured. Many of these frameworks do not adequately recognize and address the role of community and the extended African-American family. Policies and evidence-based interventions are often based on frameworks that do not incorporate African-American worldviews. For instance, Dunlap (2006) discussed the complex role of community and extended family in both preventing and exacerbating drug use among low-income African-American families. The literature indicates that a major obstacle to engaging low-income African-Americans in substance abuse intervention is a clash in worldviews between clients and the theoretical basis of current policies and intervention approaches ( Benoit, Young, Magura, & Staines, 2004 E Dunlap, Golub, Johnson, & Benoit, 2009). Since the 1990s, extensive research has examined barriers to substance abuse intervention access and engagement to better understand health disparities that exist between minority populations and their White counterparts ( Schmidt, et al., 2006). HIV-positive African-Americans die earlier than other racial groups due to barriers posed by poverty, lack of access to services, and avoidance of medical intervention due to medical mistrust and the stigma associated with HIV infection ( Centers for Disease Control, 2007). Currently, African-Americans account for approximately half of new HIV infection cases in the United States. For instance, when compared to Whites, African-Americans are more likely to have co-occurring disorders and die of cirrhosis of the liver ( Caetano, 2003). According to the National Institutes of Health (2000) “Health disparities are differences in the incidence, prevalence, mortality, and burden of diseases and other adverse health conditions that exist among specific population groups in the United States.” In the field of substance abuse, research shows that low-income African-Americans use drugs and alcohol at similar to or lower rates than Whites however, low-income African-Americans experience significantly harsher consequences for their drug use and are less likely to engage in effective interventions ( Schmidt, Greenfield, & Mulia, 2006 Windsor & Negi, 2009).

Crack vs cocaine sentencing