Crack and Cocaine are two drugs that are highly used throughout the United States. Not only is it a very popular drug, but there have been many controversial issues regarding they’re use. They both come from the same plant, but are manufactured differently. However, a person using a less amount of crack cocaine will receive the same amount of prison time for a person using a larger amount of powdered cocaine.
Pure cocaine, which is a form of powder, was introduced for medicinal purposes in the 1880s. It was used in eye, nose, and throat surgeries as an anesthetic and for its ability to constrict blood vessels and limit bleeding. Nowadays, it is used either through injections or it is snorted to receive a “high”. Crack cocaine which is a white crystal-like rock, emerged in the mid-1980s due to the fact that it was inexpensive to produce and buy, as well as gave people an almost immediate high from its use.(U.S. News) This form of cocaine is smoked, which is one of the reasons why it has become increasingly popular.
Smoking crack will also cause a person to receive more jail time. By obtaining five grams of crack, a person will automatically receive five years imprisonment compared to five hundred grams of powder cocaine which will also give a person five years in prison (Difference between.net). The majority of crack cocaine offenders have been African American as opposed to powder cocaine offenders which have been predominantly Hispanic. In 2006, African Americans accounted for 82 percent of crack cocaine-related arrests, while Caucasian and Hispanic offenders accounted for 72 percent of powder cocaine-related arrests (US news). This has caused a racial disparity by unequal prison sentences between the use of crack and powdered cocaine. Currently, President Obama is working with Congress to change the prison sentencing for crack and cocaine users by treating people equally regardless of what type of drug they are caught using or selling (Huffington post).
Difference between.net. (2010). Difference between Crack and Powder. Retrieved from http://www.differencebetween.net/object/difference-between-crack-and-powder/
Margasak, L. (2009, April 9). Obama Crack Sentencing Laws Change in Works. Retrieved from Huffington Post website: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/obama-crack-sentencing-la_n_192799.html
U.S News. (2007, Oct 1). Crack vs. Powder Cocaine: a Gulf in Penalties. Retrieved from U.S. News website: http://www.usnews.com/news/national/articles/2007/10/01/crack-vs-powder-cocaine-a-gulf-in-penalties.html
Pure cocaine, which is a form of powder, was introduced for medicinal purposes in the 1880s. It was used in eye, nose, and throat surgeries as an anesthetic and for its ability to constrict blood vessels and limit bleeding. Nowadays, it is used either through injections or it is snorted to receive a “high”. Crack cocaine which is a white crystal-like rock, emerged in the mid-1980s due to the fact that it was inexpensive to produce and buy, as well as gave people an almost immediate high from its use.(U.S. News) This form of cocaine is smoked, which is one of the reasons why it has become increasingly popular.
Smoking crack will also cause a person to receive more jail time. By obtaining five grams of crack, a person will automatically receive five years imprisonment compared to five hundred grams of powder cocaine which will also give a person five years in prison (Difference between.net). The majority of crack cocaine offenders have been African American as opposed to powder cocaine offenders which have been predominantly Hispanic. In 2006, African Americans accounted for 82 percent of crack cocaine-related arrests, while Caucasian and Hispanic offenders accounted for 72 percent of powder cocaine-related arrests (US news). This has caused a racial disparity by unequal prison sentences between the use of crack and powdered cocaine. Currently, President Obama is working with Congress to change the prison sentencing for crack and cocaine users by treating people equally regardless of what type of drug they are caught using or selling (Huffington post).
Difference between.net. (2010). Difference between Crack and Powder. Retrieved from http://www.differencebetween.net/object/difference-between-crack-and-powder/
Margasak, L. (2009, April 9). Obama Crack Sentencing Laws Change in Works. Retrieved from Huffington Post website: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/04/29/obama-crack-sentencing-la_n_192799.html
U.S News. (2007, Oct 1). Crack vs. Powder Cocaine: a Gulf in Penalties. Retrieved from U.S. News website: http://www.usnews.com/news/national/articles/2007/10/01/crack-vs-powder-cocaine-a-gulf-in-penalties.html
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