Weekly Writers Round-Up: Drug War Cronyism, School Choice in Inner Cities, and Lexington’s Pro-Horse, Anti-Housing Zoning

Each week, we’ll be featuring opinion pieces from the alumni and current participants of AF’s Writing Fellows Program. A few highlights from the past week are below. For more information on how the program can help launch your career in writing, see here.

The Illinois Marijuana Legalization Debate: Who’s Afraid of a Little Home Grow? by Randal Meyer (Summer 2016) in The Chicago Tribune
Why are Illinois legislators trying to perpetuate the war on drugs against home gardeners in their cannabis legalization bill? That is exactly what the proposed cannabis home-grow ban amendment to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s legalization plan would do.

To be sure, Gov. Pritzker’s ambitious plan to legalize cannabis legislatively is an important one, and much of the bill should serve as a model for other states going down the legalization path. However, the Illinois bill makes the unfortunate political error of wading into a concern that has derailed legalization efforts in states such as New York: home grow…

How Charter Schools Empower Inner-City Children to Escape Failing Public Schools by Jude Schwalbach (Fall 2018) in The Daily Signal
Butler College Prep, a top-rated charter school on the South Side of Chicago, provides an atmosphere that reflects and engages the local community. The founder and principal, Christopher Goins, built his school community by intentionally hiring teachers from historically black colleges so students would have relatable role models.

“If [students] don’t love the school and enjoy learning, then they are not going to learn. And it goes back to what research states,” Goins, noting the importance of a tailor-made education, told Ebony magazine. “Those of us who grew up black know that we respond to a supportive family-like environment, a place that understands who we are and appreciates who we are.”

Butler College Prep is just one example of successful public charter schools that operate with less funding and greater autonomy…

America’s First Greenbelt May Be in Jeopardy by Nolan Gray (Fall 2015) in CityLab
When it comes to city planning in the United States, the drafting of a comprehensive plan is usually the kumbaya stage—a time of heady value statements, setting the stage for potential zoning fights down the road. But with Lexington, Kentucky’s 2019 comprehensive plan, which wrapped up earlier this year, those fights materialized quickly and took center stage.

Through heated hearings at the Lexington Planning Commission and a number of contentious votes at the Lexington City Council, the controversy centered on one key issue: Lexington’s greenbelt, which limits how far out the city can expand into the countryside…