--- title: Kansas Rep. Steve Alford Apologizes For Racist Weed Comments description: Republican Rep. Steve Alford of the Kansas House apologized for comments he made last week linking black people to marijuana canonical: https://time.com/5094339/steve-alford-kansas-marijuana/ author: Aric Jenkins article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-09T00:55:57.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:53:47.114Z article:section: Politics og:title: Kansas Rep. Apologizes for Racist Comments Linking Black People to Weed og:description: He said African-Americans had a lower tolerance to the drug due to their "genetics" og:url: https://time.com/5094339/steve-alford-kansas-marijuana/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b5f7a9692fd3d14/6988f78c656a3fd942bd317e/kansas-state-legislature1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3000 og:image:height: 1688 og:image:alt: Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback addresses members of state legislature og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Kansas Rep. Apologizes for Racist Comments Linking Black People to Weed twitter:description: He said African-Americans had a lower tolerance to the drug due to their "genetics" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b5f7a9692fd3d14/6988f78c656a3fd942bd317e/kansas-state-legislature1.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Kansas Rep. Steve Alford Apologizes for Racist Comments Linking Black People to Marijuana > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8731adeb-4983-448f-9ccc-c40c2ded1c44&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Which Teens Are Most Likely to Smoke Pot? The Smart Ones, Study Finds [Watch (HLS stream): Which Teens Are Most Likely to Smoke Pot? The Smart Ones, Study Finds](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/V85O88B7.m3u8) (1:08)  _Published 2017-02-22. Brainy teens are more likely to drink and smoke pot than their less clever peers_ by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Jan 9, 2018 12:55 AM UTC  Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback addresses a joint caucus of the state Senate and House Republicans on Thursday, June 11, 2015 Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback addresses a joint caucus of the state Senate and House Republicans on Thursday, June 11, 2015 Bo Rader/Wichita Eagle/TNS via Getty Images by [Aric Jenkins](https://time.com/author/aric-jenkins/) ## Aric Jenkins Jan 9, 2018 12:55 AM UTC Republican Rep. Steve Alford of the Kansas House apologized for comments he made last week linking the character and genetics of black people to [marijuana](http://time.com/5094185/coachella-marijuana-ban/). “I was wrong, I regret my comments and I sincerely apologize to anyone whom I have hurt,” Alford said in a statement Monday, [according to the Topeka _Capital-Journal_.](http://cjonline.com/news/state-government/2018-01-08/kansas-rep-steve-alford-regrets-linking-pot-usage-black-people) Alford, who has served in the state’s legislature since 2011, said on Saturday at a town hall that black people had a lower tolerance for marijuana because of the their “character makeup” and “genetics,” [the Garden City _Telegram_ first reported.](http://www.gctelegram.com/news/20180108/rep-steve-alford-cites-belief-blacks-more-susceptible-to-marijuana) “Basically any way you say it, marijuana is an entry drug into the higher drugs,” Alford said in response to a suggestion that pot legalization could raise money for the state of Kansas, according to the Telegram. “What you really need to do is go back in the ’30s, when they outlawed all types of drugs in Kansas \[and\] across the United States. “What was the reason why they did that?” he continued. “One of the reasons why, I hate to say it, was that the African Americans, they were basically users and they basically responded the worst off to those drugs just because of their character makeup, their genetics and that.” Several of Alford’s fellow lawmakers were stunned by the comments, according to the _Capital-Journal._ “I think that is outrageous,” said Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, a Democrat from Wichita, the _Capital-Journal_ reported. “For a sitting state representative to say that, I just can’t believe it. You can’t put everybody into one category. He should be more of a statesman and get facts.” Prior to his apology Monday, when the _Telegram_ asked for clarification regarding his comments, Alford stood by his initial stance but said that he shouldn’t have single out African-Americans. “There are certain groups of people, their genetics, the way their makeup is, the chemicals will affect them differently,” Alford told the paper. “That’s what I should have said was drugs affect people differently instead of being more specific.” Alford did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment. ## Transcript [00:00] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5094339/steve-alford-kansas-marijuana/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5094339/steve-alford-kansas-marijuana/"},"headline":"Kansas Rep. 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