Final answer:
The conflict perspective suggests drug laws are not enforced equally, with minorities being disproportionately targeted. This theory points to social structures favoring the powerful and highlights the historical sentencing disparities in crack versus cocaine cases as evidence of systemic inequality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sociological perspective that believes drug laws are not enforced equally, and that certain minority groups are singled out, is the conflict perspective. This perspective holds that social structures and institutions tend to reflect the interests of the powerful and that law enforcement may disproportionately target underprivileged minorities. Research suggests that Black and Hispanic individuals have been subject to more aggressive police tactics and disproportionately higher arrest and prosecution rates compared to White individuals, particularly in drug-related offenses. The conflict perspective views such legal inequalities as a manifestation of social and economic power dynamics, where laws are designed to benefit those in power at the expense of the powerless, perpetuating a cycle of poverty and reduced social mobility.
For example, during the 1980s and 1990s, the disparities in sentencing for crack versus cocaine possession were severe, with minorities often receiving harsher punishments for crack cocaine, which was more affordable and prevalent in poorer communities, while cocaine was considered a drug of the affluent. Such disproportionate enforcement has been linked to the broader systemic issue of racial profiling, which further contributes to the mass incarceration of Black and Hispanic communities.