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News & ArtsThursday, March 18, 2010
Drugs A Good Bi-Partisan Compromise?
Posted by Dominic Holden on Thu, Mar 18, 2010 at 10:34 AM
Legislation approved by the Senate on Wednesday would significantly reduce the disparity in sentences handed out to those convicted of crack and powder cocaine charges.Currently, a person convicted of crack cocaine possession gets the same mandatory jail time as someone with 100 times the same quantity of powder cocaine. That 100-1 ratio has been particularly hard on the black community, where convictions on federal crack laws are more prevalent.
Under the measure, approved by a voice vote, the ratio would be reduced to 18-1.
Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who worked out the legislation with Senate Judiciary Committee Republicans, said he had initially wanted a straight 1-to-1 ratio, but that the final product was a good bipartisan compromise.
This is an improvement, true. But under the good compromise, a person found with 500 grams of powdered cocaine (more popular among white people) would face the same five-year sentence as a person found with only 28 grams of crack cocaine (more popular among black people). Viva la Democratically controlled Congress!
3
I wonder if they had open hearings what the rationale would be from the Republicans (or anyone) for ANY disparity.
4
What ever happened to the 3/5ths compromise?
Seriously, though, it seems a little absurd to charge people on mass of drug trafficked to begin with. At the bare minimum, I can see legislation that tracks the street price of the drug and treats an illegal substance based on flat price - so X grams of substance A gets the same as Y grams of substance B if they both cost $Z.
But how on earth do you conclude even 500 grams - an iPod's weight in drugs - should pass out a 5 YEAR sentence. That's still ridiculously obscene and simply illustrates how irrational our drug laws are. Jack Abramoff and Bob Ney got off on lighter sentences, and I'm very confident they did more harm to the community than 500 pounds of drugs ever could.
Seriously, though, it seems a little absurd to charge people on mass of drug trafficked to begin with. At the bare minimum, I can see legislation that tracks the street price of the drug and treats an illegal substance based on flat price - so X grams of substance A gets the same as Y grams of substance B if they both cost $Z.
But how on earth do you conclude even 500 grams - an iPod's weight in drugs - should pass out a 5 YEAR sentence. That's still ridiculously obscene and simply illustrates how irrational our drug laws are. Jack Abramoff and Bob Ney got off on lighter sentences, and I'm very confident they did more harm to the community than 500 pounds of drugs ever could.
6
Wasn't this complained about in an early episode of The West Wing? It's kind of depressing how little things have changed.
8
A good example of what's wrong with our government. One stupid thing is "corrected" with another stupid thing ad infinitum.
9
7
Let's see, Will-
the deficit for this year is
$1,600,000,000.00-
are we spending that much on
the war on drugs?
Let's see, Will-
the deficit for this year is
$1,600,000,000.00-
are we spending that much on
the war on drugs?
10
This shows that the GOP cares about its constituents 18X as much as the Democraps.
One day Blacks will wise up and come back to the GOP...
One day Blacks will wise up and come back to the GOP...
11
@9 - about one-third of the Drug War is in the black budget, the off-budget amount we don't publicize.
Every bit counts. Like server farm tax exemptions, for example.
Every bit counts. Like server farm tax exemptions, for example.
12
Would've been even better if they also focused more on attaching harsher and more drastic penalties for those trafficking that garbage in the neighborhoods. As far as I'm concerned those are the true criminals and they should be treated by the system the same way that those that commit homicide are treated. Anyone who has seen a crakhead and the physical and mental destruction they live in can attest to that.
16
Dominic,
I don't have a problem with the compromise. But, it would be far better if ALL races did far less cocaine (powdered or crack). BTW, check this out:
http://www.tnr.com/book/review/addiction…
Fascinating. I shall read the book.
I don't have a problem with the compromise. But, it would be far better if ALL races did far less cocaine (powdered or crack). BTW, check this out:
http://www.tnr.com/book/review/addiction…
Fascinating. I shall read the book.
17
You know, if we had a carbon tax, we wouldn't have deficits.
Plus, as they showed in BC, we'd be really mellow. Um, mind you, we might have to end the drug war ...
Plus, as they showed in BC, we'd be really mellow. Um, mind you, we might have to end the drug war ...
18
@ 16) Agreed--it would also be far better if all races drank less booze, smoked fewer cigarettes, quaffed less soda, ate less fast food...
19
Coke and crack are completely different drugs with wholly different consequences for the users, their families, and society. A system that treats these drugs differently is being realistic, not racist.
A better black vs white comparison would be crack vs crystal meth. Are those penalties on par with each other?
A better black vs white comparison would be crack vs crystal meth. Are those penalties on par with each other?
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