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Students to lobby cocaine drug policy
Nicole Stempak
Issue date: 11/21/08 Section: News
Three Kent State students disagree with the laws concerning drug policy and are going to Washington to do something about it.
"We see things that need to be changed, and we're going to DC to change them," said Chris Wallis, president of the Kent State chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Wallis said they will speak with Rep. Tim Ryan and Sens. George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown about the sentencing difference for cocaine offenders. The three students will join students from 50 other chapters of SSDP at colleges nationwide.
According to the press release, federal law requires a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine. In comparison, five grams of crack cocaine yields the same sentencing. This difference has produced a racial disparity in drug law enforcement, as blacks comprise 88 percent of all federal crack sentences.
"We're going to tell them (Ryan, Voinovich and Brown) to support this resolution, not because we want these drugs to be more accessible to kids," Wallis said, "but we think the law should be based on scientific fact rather than fear, bias or racism."
-Nicole Stempak
"We see things that need to be changed, and we're going to DC to change them," said Chris Wallis, president of the Kent State chapter of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.
Wallis said they will speak with Rep. Tim Ryan and Sens. George Voinovich and Sherrod Brown about the sentencing difference for cocaine offenders. The three students will join students from 50 other chapters of SSDP at colleges nationwide.
According to the press release, federal law requires a five-year mandatory minimum sentence for possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine. In comparison, five grams of crack cocaine yields the same sentencing. This difference has produced a racial disparity in drug law enforcement, as blacks comprise 88 percent of all federal crack sentences.
"We're going to tell them (Ryan, Voinovich and Brown) to support this resolution, not because we want these drugs to be more accessible to kids," Wallis said, "but we think the law should be based on scientific fact rather than fear, bias or racism."
-Nicole Stempak
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posted 11/23/08 @ 7:34 PM EST
Yes it sounds that the law is unfair and racist since it does not take into account the amount of cocaine that one has on them.
Mr. Jesse Merino
posted 11/24/08 @ 12:51 PM EST
I also believe its 'unfair' to everyone!
If you have ANY crack or cocaine on you, you should be arrested and tossed in jail!
There, that makes it fair to everyone. (Continued…)
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