Pubdate: Fri, 06 May 2005
Source: Greenville News (SC)
Copyright: 2005 The Greenville News
Contact:  http://greenvillenews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/877
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/coke.htm (Cocaine)

CRACK VS. POWDER

Make Cocaine Penalties Equal.

The Legislature is close to making the penalties for both crack cocaine and 
powder cocaine equal, a long overdue reform that will slightly soften the 
penalties for crack cocaine and while stiffening the penalty for possessing 
the drug in its powder form.

For too long the Legislature has been paralyzed on this issue, mainly 
because of the inherent racial element. Far more blacks use crack cocaine 
and far more whites use powder cocaine. Therefore, blacks have suffered far 
stiffer prison sentences for what is essentially the same crime. The 
maximum penalty for possessing crack cocaine is more than double the 
penalty for possessing the powdered form of the same drug.

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus -- all Democrats -- have long 
decried this disparity. Many Republicans, however, have held on to the 
traditional view of crack cocaine that originally fueled the elevated 
penalties. Crack cocaine, especially in its early days, has been synonymous 
with violent street crime. The stiffer penalties were intended to be a 
deterrent.

But the world has changed since then. Crack cocaine use is down, and the 
violent turf wars associated with its sale are far less common. This bill 
recognizes that. Therefore, the General Assembly should send the governor a 
bill that equalizes cocaine sentences and creates tougher penalties for the 
new drug menace: crystal meth.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom