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News Biden Administration Endorses Legislation to End Crack Cocaine Sentencing Disparity

thegreenhand

thegreenhand

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reason.com

Biden Administration Endorses Legislation to End Crack Cocaine Sentencing Disparity

The EQUAL Act would finally end one of the worst legacies of the 1980s drug war and clean up one of the biggest stains on Joe Biden's record.
reason.com reason.com

Biden Administration Endorses Legislation to End Crack Cocaine Sentencing Disparity​

CJ Ciaramella
Reason
22 Jun 2021

“The Biden administration endorsed legislation today that would finally end the federal sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine offenses, and close the book on one of the most destructive parts of Joe Biden's legacy as a senator.

Then-Sen. Biden (D–Del.) co-sponsored the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986. That law imposed mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenders and created a 100-to-1 sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine. In later years, under pressure from activists and criminal justice advocates who cited the wide racial disparities and massive sentences that resulted, Biden reversed his stance. Part of his 2020 campaign platform included ending the disparity.”
 
Legalize or decriminalize?

non of them. He is just removing the difference in sentences from base and powder. That’s a good thing, but really way to little and decades to late. Let’s see something significant, that creates positive change in society, instead of reducing the mind boggling disruptive calamity we are currently trying to keep our collective heads above water from.
 
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neversickanymore said:
Legalize or decriminalize?
Click to expand...
Neither

In the US crack cocaine has 18x (yes... 18x) the mandatory minimum sentences compared to powder cocaine... it's absolutely ridiculous and is a VERY racist and targeted law. It makes no sense.

They are just bringing crack penalties down to where powder cocaine is... (which should have been done decades ago)
 
Crack cocaine = cocaine, but black people are known to use it = 18 years
Powder cocaine = cocaine, but white people are known to use it = 1 year

'murican justice

the worst part is those stereotypes aren't very accurate... I've only really smoked crack with white people, did more powder with black people........ stupid

This is all borne from Reaganism and the war on drugs, the CIA systematically introduced crack to black populations and wanted them to destroy themselves while they literally PROFITED from it

The 3 major scares of the 80's:
- crack
- satanism
- black people
 
Thanks guys I added to my post while you were answering that first one.

Positive moves are good.. but fuck all that as there are soooooo many negative results.. big moves need to happen.
 
Now we all get fairly fucked under extremely harsh life fucking powder laws.

how clueless are these people????

Criminal drug laws destroy our society.. duhhh
 
neversickanymore said:
Now we all get fairly fucked under extremely harsh life fucking powder laws.

how clueless are these people????

Criminal drug laws destroy our society.. duhhh
Click to expand...
oh yeah....

in the USA if you're caught with LSD tabs they charge you for the total weight of the paper as an equivalent amount of the LSD you possess...

They charge you for the paper in LSD amount.... the paper weighs about 1000x the actual drug...

Caught with one LSD tab that weighs 50mg? You just got charged with 50mg of LSD :D

so fucking backwards

Also all US drug penalties are still based on cannabis penalties from 50+ years ago.

If you're caught with PCP they ultimately use an equation and charge you with an equivalent amount of cannabis...... seriously, I'm not joking
 
That’s because the federal government is scared as they come about LSD.. they introduced it all around as a potential mind control drug and up popped the planet changing cultural revolution. We want mind control and ended up with the Greatful Dead. People don’t jump off buildings on LSD they jump the off their bullshit.
 
neversickanymore said:
That’s because the federal government is scared as they come about LSD.. they introduced it all around as a potential mind control drug and up popped the planet changing cultural revolution. We want mind control and ended up with the Greatful Dead. People don’t jump off buildings on LSD they jump the off their bullshit.
Click to expand...
I recently delved into that type of lore and it's quite interesting, for example, prozac (the first) and SSRI's in general exist today because an american pharma company bought the entire world's LSD supply from sandoz, which their intention was to sell it to the US gov and other clandestine research (in the late 50's I believe, forgot the exact date), and it's serotonergic action inspired SSRI anti depressants, resulting in prozac about a decade later...

Honestly this all boils down to money and a for-profit, non-centralized prison and health system. Drug addicts are basically worth gold to them $$$
 
It’s not lore..

Here is a pretty good overview

www.npr.org

The CIA's Secret Mind Control Experiments : Fresh Air

Stephen Kinzer's book, 'Poisoner in Chief,' exposes how CIA scientist Sidney Gottlieb worked in the 1950s and early '60s to develop mind control drugs and deadly toxins that could be used against enemies of the U.S. government. Gottlieb believed the key to mind control was LSD, and is credited...
www.npr.org www.npr.org

But your exactly right. The “drug war” is all about profit and control and has nothing to do with benefiting society overall.
 
Snafu of the Forest said:
clandestine research (in the late 50's I believe, forgot the exact date), and it's serotonergic action inspired SSRI anti depressants, resulting in prozac about a decade later...
Click to expand...
a PI at my school did graduate work involving primate studies of the serotonin transporter. in particular, its influence on social dominance. his advisor was later discovered to have forged some data and falsified results. i wonder why he was encouraged to do so...
 
I heard this unfortunately will apply more to high level crack dealers leaving low personal amount users still vulnerable and in the dust
 
negrogesic said:
What do you here, can you elaborate?
Click to expand...
can't find what I read atm, but it was essentially a paper showing how they came up with the various drug posession mandatory minimums

If you get arrested for PCP they equivalate the PCP weight into Cannabis weight and then sentence you based on that

like 1g of PCP is equal to 100g of cannabis (or whatever), then they charge your PCP as 100g of cannabis (not literally - but that's how they sentence you)
 
Snafu of the Forest said:
can't find what I read atm, but it was essentially a paper showing how they came up with the various drug posession mandatory minimums

If you get arrested for PCP they equivalate the PCP weight into Cannabis weight and then sentence you based on that

like 1g of PCP is equal to 100g of cannabis (or whatever), then they charge your PCP as 100g of cannabis (not literally - but that's how they sentence you)
Click to expand...
I don't think they do that in the US, the only country I am aware of that does that is France
 
HOOH said:
I don't think they do that in the US, the only country I am aware of that does that is France
Click to expand...
they did at one point, I've been trying to find what I read which was an official document but I can't find it right now

it may have been something from back in the 70s/80s, but it was federal not state

again it was really only explaining how they came up with the mandatory minimums, not the actual process of sentencing

but I could be wrong, I'm just remembering something I read years ago and found very interesting
 
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Snafu of the Forest said:
Crack cocaine = cocaine, but black people are known to use it = 18 years
Powder cocaine = cocaine, but white people are known to use it = 1 year

The 3 major scares of the 80's:
- crack
- satanism
- black people
Click to expand...
DnD too. That was the scariest of all.

Isnt is sad how badly these inequalities still exist?
 
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