|
By Kathryn Wiley|Published Date: March 03, 2010
The federal law that mandates harsher prison terms for people arrested with crack cocaine than for those caught with cocaine powder must go, according to an editorial in the New York Times.
 The article credits “crack hysteria” in the 1980s for promoting the wrongly held belief that crack was more addictive and caused more violent behavior when it is no different pharmacologically from powder cocaine.
In addition to sending addicts to prison when treatment is a better and more cost effective solution, the law tended to target minorities. More than 80 percent of those incarcerated for crack offenses are black.
A bill to end the disparity has been sent to the floor of the House, but has yet to be voted on. The Senate version is having trouble garnering support from both parties.
To read the editorial, click here.
To find out more about sentencing disparity and the unnecessary costs and suffering accompanying it, visit Justice Fellowship’s resource page on Drug Policy and Mandatory Minimums. |
