rssObama (Passively) Wants Parity for Crack Sentencing
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 at 3:23 pm
- 4 Comments
This morning’s Senate panel hearing on the wide discrepancy between sentencing for crack and powder cocaine-related crimes offered the Obama administration its first official opportunity to weigh in on the contentious issue. And while the White House announced its support for closing the gap, it also appears to be leaving Congress with the sole responsibility for doing it. From the written testimony of newly confirmed Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer:
[T]his Administration believes that the current federal cocaine sentencing structure fails to appropriately reflect the differences and similarities between crack and powder cocaine, the offenses involving each form of the drug, and the goal of sentencing serious and major traffickers to significant prison sentences. We believe the structure is especially problematic because a growing number of citizens view it as fundamentally unfair. The Administration believes Congress’s goal should be to completely eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine.
Under current federal law, possession of five grams of crack cocaine with an intent to distribute carries a mandatory five year sentence. But for powder cocaine, it requires possession of at least 500 grams with an intent to distribute to get the same five year sentence. At the time the laws were passed in the mid 1980s, the thinking was that crack cocaine was more closely linked to violent crime. But it also happens to be used disproportionately by blacks and Hispanics.
President Obama campaigned on a platform of ending the sentencing disparity. This is the first step; now Congress stands at bat.
4 Comments
Comment posted May 11, 2009 @ 10:51 pm
yes it's true that the majority of crack dealers are african american but what some people fail to recognized is that the majority of crack users are white. what congress needs to focus on is the fact that when cocaine is delivered to the united states it's in powder form and the buyer then cook it to make it into crack form so why in the hell wouldnt the justice system focus more on where an when the powdered cocain is being entered into our dear country (by traffickers) instead of focusing on petty drug dealers and leaving the H.N.I.C out there to ship his drugs into our cities. why? because some law enforcers are apart of the powder distribution themselves plus 90 percent of the cocaine traffickers are either colimbian, white, or latino what ever they are, there not african american. so why not capture the person that ships the shit in before it gets prepared into crack. they can give the african american crack dealers 10 years but what are the repercutions for the white crack users? in order for there to be crack dealers there have to be crack users.
Comment posted May 12, 2009 @ 5:51 am
yes it's true that the majority of crack dealers are african american but what some people fail to recognized is that the majority of crack users are white. what congress needs to focus on is the fact that when cocaine is delivered to the united states it's in powder form and the buyer then cook it to make it into crack form so why in the hell wouldnt the justice system focus more on where an when the powdered cocain is being entered into our dear country (by traffickers) instead of focusing on petty drug dealers and leaving the H.N.I.C out there to ship his drugs into our cities. why? because some law enforcers are apart of the powder distribution themselves plus 90 percent of the cocaine traffickers are either colimbian, white, or latino what ever they are, there not african american. so why not capture the person that ships the shit in before it gets prepared into crack. they can give the african american crack dealers 10 years but what are the repercutions for the white crack users? in order for there to be crack dealers there have to be crack users.
Comment posted January 18, 2010 @ 12:15 pm
That is a very good point Monique , but crime leaders are like weeds , as soon as you get rid of one, another springs right up , my opinion is that drug abuse should be abolished by killing the demand of these products with successful campaigns for narconon California alcoholism treatment and drug treatment and by forcing addicts into centers
Comment posted May 17, 2011 @ 10:09 am
Most drug addicts get into drug use after experiencing some traumatic
experience such as the death of a loved one, an accident, the loss of an
important relationship or even after learning of the existence of a
terminal illness. There are not many medications to help the recovery
of coming off of cocaine; however, antidepressant medications can be
prescribed and there are some new medications on the market that are
being aimed at this potential audience. There are several different
courses that can be taken as a part of cocaine treatment. Treatment
centers will work closely with the addict to provide them with counseling, therapy, education and hospitalization if required. Medications to treat cocaine addiction
are not yet available, although researchers are working continuously to
identify and test new options. The most promising experimental
medication existing seems to be Selegiline, which still needs an
appropriate method of administration.Cocaine Addiction
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
