It is estimated that over half of all Americans 12 years and older have consumed illicit drugs at some point in their lives, that some 24 million suffer from active addiction, and that almost 250,000 people die each year as a direct result of alcohol or drug abuse. We know that the (ab)use of such mind-altering substances does not discriminate by race, gender, or age. Yet the public response - through the war on drugs – has targeted ethnic minorities living in urban areas and disproportionate numbers of African American and Hispanic males end up in the criminal justice and prison system. This seminar examines the causes and consequences of current approaches by looking at the social, economic, and political dimensions of urban drug use and ways to deal with problems associated with active addiction that costs the public over $700 billion annually. Students will think creatively about policy solutions to overcome the institutional racism that undergirds current policy.