Rick Ross speaks to students about drugs, life in prison
Though the crack epidemic is associated with the 1980s, former drug trafficker Rick Ross said the epidemic still affects people today.
Ross spoke Wednesday about the history of the crack epidemic and its current impact on society at a discussion hosted by the Gould School of Law.
Jody Armour, professor of law,who hosted the event with former prosecutor Antonio J. Moore, kicked off the speech, “White Reign; the Rise and Fall of a Crack Empire,” by summarizing a report by Secretary of State John Kerry.
“The crack plague was the product of certain foreign policy priorities taking precedence over drug enforcement priorities,” Armour said. “That’s what was found in the Kerry report in 1987.”
Ross said that it was opportunity that separates him from the people he knew in prison.
“When I left prison, I had tears in my eyes because I was glad to come home,” Ross said, “but then I left friends [in prison] that I know were no worse of a person than I was and that the only reason that I was getting out was because the police just did not catch me right.”
Ross said the lack of job opportunities in South Central during the 1980s contributed to a rise in drug dealing.
“They are usually the guys who are willing to take a chance —trailblazers, almost,” Ross said. “Because, without that drive and without that energy, you will not do good in selling drugs.”
Armour said the crack epidemic in the United States was based on international conflicts in the 1980s between the U.S. and Nicaragua. Armour said the CIA helped to support a counter-revolutionary group in Nicaragua — the Contras — and used cocaine trade to support their efforts.
Armour also said this initial support of the drug trade was not meant to target the black community.
“What you had was a decision made that national security interests were more important than drug enforcement interests,” Armour said. “That’s because there is no personal animist against black America, rather it’s concern for the greater good.”
Ross said that since his release from prison, he has been using the same business skills he developed as a drug dealer to start new legitimate businesses, such as launching a T-shirt company and making a documentary.
“It is unbelievable how well the same type of skills work,” Ross said.
Though Ross has served his prison sentence, he is concerned about the current punishments for drug dealers.
“I believe that it is high time to say, ‘You know what, these guys have been in prison long enough for non-violent crimes,’” Ross said. “It’s time to cut their sentences, and we should make it retroactive. We should not be punishing guys who have committed non-violent crimes.”