Drug laws are quickly changing. Marijuana will soon be considered 100% legal and now mandatory sentencing for possession of crack cocaine is no longer.
After years of controversy, Congress has decided to reduce the federal sentencing disparity for crack cocaine offenses which were 100 times harsher than those for powder cocaine. With the new law, penalties will now only be 18 times harsher.
The bill, which will become law as soon as a supportive President Obama signs it, eliminates a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for simple possession of small amounts of crack cocaine. The bill also raises the 10-year mandatory minimum sentence from possession of about 50 grams of crack to about 280 grams.
[mashshare]
