One of the promises Joe Biden made ahead of coming into office was to take a hard look at the drug laws in the United States that have targeted Black communities for decades. Now, news arrived noting that Biden has backed a bill to end the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine.
Biden endorsed the bill on June 22, and this bill would shift from the “100 to 1 rule,” which enforced a five-year minimum sentence for 500 grams of cocaine or five grams of crack.
Regina LaBelle, the acting director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, spoke on the matter and said, “The current disparity is not based on evidence, yet has caused significant harm for decades, particularly to individuals, families, and communities of color.” She continued by saying, “The continuation of this sentencing disparity is a significant injustice in our legal system, and it is past time for it to end. Therefore, the administration urges the swift passage of the ‘Eliminating a Quantifiably Unjust Application of the Law Act.’”
source: Reuters
