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 Psuper
W-W-Wyzzerdd
Registered: 02/12/08
Posts: 2,789
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 Congress passes bill to reduce disparity in crack, powder cocaine sentencing
#12968119 - 07/28/10 04:48 PM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/28/AR2010072802969.html
Congress passes bill to reduce disparity in crack, powder cocaine sentencing
By Jim Abrams
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Congress on Wednesday changed a 25-year-old law that has subjected tens of thousands of African Americans to long prison terms for crack cocaine convictions while giving far more lenient treatment to those, mainly whites, caught with the powder form of the drug.
The House, by voice vote, approved a bill reducing the disparities between mandatory crack and powder cocaine sentences, sending the measure to President Obama for his signature. During his presidential campaign, Obama said that the wide gap in sentencing "cannot be justified and should be eliminated." The Senate passed the bill in March.
The measure changes a 1986 law, enacted at a time when crack cocaine use was rampant and considered a particularly violent drug. Under the law, a person convicted of crack cocaine possession got the same mandatory prison term as someone with 100 times the same amount of powder cocaine. The new legislation reduces that ratio to about 18 to 1.
The bill also eliminates the five-year mandatory minimum for first-time possession of crack, the first time since the Nixon administration that Congress has repealed a mandatory minimum sentence. It does not apply retroactively.
Eighty percent of those convicted of crack cocaine offenses are black.
Under current law, possession of five grams of crack triggers a mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence. The same mandatory sentence applies to a person convicted of trafficking 500 grams of powder cocaine.
The new legislation will apply the five-year term to someone with 28 grams, or an ounce, of crack.
Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the main sponsor of the bill in the Senate with Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), said nearly 1,500 people were convicted last year for possession of five to 25 grams of crack cocaine, subjecting them to mandatory minimum sentences.
In the 2008 campaign, Obama said the sentencing disparity "has disproportionately filled our prisons with young black and Latino drug users." He cited figures that African Americans serve almost as much time for drug offenses -- 58.7 months -- as whites do for violent offenses -- 61.7 months.
Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, was the only lawmaker to speak against the bill, saying that the 1986 law was enacted as the crack cocaine epidemic brought a sharp spike in violence to minority communities and that it would be a mistake to change it.
"Why do we want to risk another surge of addiction and violence by reducing penalties?" he asked. "Why are we coddling some of the most dangerous drug traffickers in America?"
-- Associated Press
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Psuper
W-W-Wyzzerdd
Registered: 02/12/08
Posts: 2,789
Loc: PNW
Last seen: 1 day, 8 hours
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Re: Congress passes bill to reduce disparity in crack, powder cocaine sentencing [Re: Psuper]
#12968135 - 07/28/10 04:50 PM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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It was part of Obama's campaign to address this issue; the bill is on it's way to his desk for a signature.
This bill is, unfortunately, not retroactive meaning it does not help all those (mostly black) who are currently imprisoned. Still big news in the U.S. ~P~
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P. Cubensis Bulk Substrate:
Coco-Coir (and/or local Horse Manure), Vermiculite, Gypsum (calcium sulfate), Composted Chicken Manure (3%-5%).
Visit the Growery.Org, Here's a thread by myself about water-hash bags and hashish filtration:
http://www.growery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/489978
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smaerd
Registered: 03/11/08
Posts: 2,058
Last seen: 10 months, 12 days
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Re: Congress passes bill to reduce disparity in crack, powder cocaine sentencing [Re: Psuper]
#12968296 - 07/28/10 05:22 PM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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Yea know I am not down with crack rocks, but any more reasonable changes made to drug policy I'll jump for joy over. So I am torn here, I don't wanna jump up and down about crack, but this will maybe positively influence society a bit?
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JackofSpades
Peace
Registered: 02/28/09
Posts: 2,894
Last seen: 2 days, 10 hours
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Re: Congress passes bill to reduce disparity in crack, powder cocaine sentencing [Re: smaerd]
#12968625 - 07/28/10 06:27 PM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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this huge!
i've written two or three papers on the bullshit of the drug war and this one is always a major point. This is awesome!
I feel really good to know this has been addressed *faith restored*
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  If you're frightened of dying and you're holding on, you'll see devils tearing your life away. But if you've made your peace, then the devils are really angels, freeing you from the earth.
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aiyobro
Good Looking Bitch
Registered: 06/30/07
Posts: 9,088
Loc: Outer Space
Last seen: 5 hours, 13 minutes
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Re: Congress passes bill to reduce disparity in crack, powder cocaine sentencing [Re: JackofSpades]
#12969097 - 07/28/10 07:57 PM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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i hope this applies to people thrown away in the past, this is nice tho makes less hatred torward the scene nice!
Edited by aiyobro (07/29/10 11:35 PM)
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whatever123
Whatever I did, I'm sorry
Registered: 04/07/05
Posts: 2,613
Loc: San Diego, CA
Last seen: 1 year, 3 months
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Re: Congress passes bill to reduce disparity in crack, powder cocaine sentencing [Re: JackofSpades]
#12969699 - 07/28/10 09:57 PM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
JackofSpades said:
this is huge!
i've written two or three papers on the bullshit of the drug war and this one is always a major point. This is awesome!
Yeah, I identify with you on that point. The disparity in the sentences for crack and powder cocaine is one of the most obviously racist aspects of the drug war. It's incredibly uplifting to see this addressed.
As for "Why do we want to risk another surge of addiction and violence by reducing penalties? ... Why are we coddling some of the most dangerous drug traffickers in America?"
I respond with this: Those who become crack addicts tend not to be the type of people who would be deterred by the law. In other words, I don't see a whole bunch of non-crack users jumping to the pipe because the penalties just became stiff. And I don't think the "most dangerous drug traffickers in America" will be affected too much by a law that only affects people caught with under an ounce. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the real players in this game tend to work with a little bit more.
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there should be a 3 month waiting period between registration and posting. 
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 5-HT2A
Registered: 01/30/10
Posts: 1,634
Loc: The Prefrontal Cortex
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Re: Congress passes bill to reduce disparity in crack, powder cocaine sentencing [Re: whatever123]
#12971260 - 07/29/10 09:52 AM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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Quote:
The new legislation reduces that ratio to about 18 to 1.
By increasing or decreasing the severity of the sentencing guidelines? Just because they repealed the mandatory minimums doesn't mean there won't be even more/longer convictions now.
Quote:
It does not apply retroactively.
Ah yes! Private prison industrial complex rest easy! The lobbyists have performed their duty. Formerly harmless crack cocaine convicts? Bend over and relax that asshole. Your suffering is gonna buy Richard Schwartz another Mercedes this year! Rest easy brother, you have a purpose.
Quote:
"Why do we want to risk another surge of addiction and violence by reducing penalties?" he asked. "Why are we coddling some of the most dangerous drug traffickers in America?"
Why does America coddle political sociopaths?
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aiyobro
Good Looking Bitch
Registered: 06/30/07
Posts: 9,088
Loc: Outer Space
Last seen: 5 hours, 13 minutes
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Re: Congress passes bill to reduce disparity in crack, powder cocaine sentencing [Re: 5-HT2A]
#12972298 - 07/29/10 01:25 PM (1 year, 9 months ago) |
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.
Edited by aiyobro (07/29/10 11:35 PM)
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