He was everything I was not. Built like Mike Tyson as quick as Linford Christie and with football skills to match he made playing the game like all great players look easy. Before him I thought I was a good player after him I KNEW he was great!
He was 4 years older than me but in reality he was 10 years older mentally. He introduced me to the lifestyle of a soul boy with his unique dress sense, his love of soul music (he introduced me to Blues and Soul Magazine), in effect he was the big brother I never had.
What do they have in common? Both are now institutionalised with mental illness. Statistics show that a number of black males that are suffering with mental issues are consistently on the rise. With 5 - 7% of ethnic minorities in the UK and with more black males institutionalised than their white counterparts what can we attribute to the rising levels of mental instability within black males?
I would answer with one word 'cannabis' (or weed, ash, black or any number of street names associated with this drug). Recent scientific study has shown a link between constant cannabis abuse and the variety of mental illnesses. The Government in trying to taggle the rising levels of drug dependancy and use have inadvertently sent out the wrong message with regards to the use of this drug. By de-classifying it from a Class A to a Class B drug they have decriminalised any one found with cannabis in their possession and thus to my mind encouraging it's use.
Back in the mid-90's hip hop was inundated with songs glorifying the use of smoking "blunts" by artists like Redman and Method Man. They even made a film called "How High" which glorified this habit. Recently I saw an interview with Redman where the brother could barely keep the flow of a conversation together, now I would admit there are other circumstances like the pressure of life, racism and day to day pressures that could also be responsible but I believe the increased use of cannabis within the black community needs to be addressed primarily by the Government and the black community itself.
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Forget not being able to form a sentence! How about personal responsibility? I know a guy (very close to me so don't dog him out too badly) in my family whose heat was shut off because they had a $700 heat bill. I asked what were they going to do about it while he smoked on the phone telling me. He said his wife was applying for some type of aid to get the heat on. I listened to him inhale and exhale and asked him "How much do you spend on weed a week?" He said "About $50." I said "[Insert name here], do you realize that's $200 a month? You could have your heat turned back on before winter is over." He said "Man, my weed money don't mean nothing." I said "It means $200. I think you're addicted." He snapped "So?!" at me. From then on, I gave up completely. I also don't date men who smoke weed, thanks to him, because I'll be blankety if I have to raise a grown blankety man!
I know the guy is close to you and all, but dag. I wonder how his wife reacts to his smoking. Does he have kids? What a great example.
No I won't diss too hard. I'll leave that to you :)
Yep, he has two sons, and his wife hates smoking (but I can't stand her so it doesn't matter). Anyway, he's a great guy, but he sincerely is addicted to weed.
Great piece, GQ. I know two people personally who have been through the mental health system in this country and one other who is showing signs of being a good candidate. All three are prolific cannabis smokers. Or were at some time in the past.
I think cannabis is a crucial contributing factor to the high incidence of mental illness among black males but like you rightly said, it's not the only one. The day to day pressures of life and racism certainly play a part. But another important determinant, I feel, is the black man's fondness for hypermasculinity and all that it entails. It's incredibly difficult to get us black men to talk about our feelings and the act of keeping concerns or problems to ourselves is seen as a sign of strength, which is it definitely not. In general we tend to live very isolated lives. Our relationships with other men are about many things (often about conflict) but rarely about emotional support. Even those of us married or in relationships can often find it hard to tell our partners about our worries. These are all potent ingredients in a recipe for poor mental health (and, I might add, highlight the primary reason why women generally tend to live longer than men).
I don't want to sound pessimistic but I don't see things getting any better any time soon. Young black men are grappling with issues today that men of my generation would never have dreamed of when we were younger. I wouldn't be surprised if many of them are turning to cannabis in order to cope with these issues. And so on it goes.
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