According to CNN, U.S. president Barack Obama earlier today signed a bill reducing the penalties for possession of crack cocaine.
This bill is important because the old law unfairly targeted blacks and Hispanics with harsh punishment, while users who snorted powder cocaine recreationally usually got off with a slap on the wrist.
The Fair Sentencing Act repeals a five-year mandatory sentence for first time offenders, and for repeat offenders with less than 28 grams of crack cocaine. The old law set the mandatory sentence for conviction at five grams.
African-Americans have been far more likely than whites and Hispanics to be convicted for — and receive the harsher penalties associated with — possession of crack cocaine, according to government statistics. White and Hispanic defendants are more frequently charged with possession of powder cocaine.
The now-defunct measure had been in place for 25 years. The House passed the new law through a bipartisan voice vote last week, following approval by the Senate in March. Read More…
