President Obama signs Crack Bill

On August 3rd, 2010, President Barack Obama signed the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, reforming the notorious “100-to-1″ ratio between crack and powder cocaine into an 18-to-1 ratio.

Families Against Mandatory Minimums reports,”In an Oval Office Ceremony today, President Barack Obama signed sweeping reforms to federal crack cocaine laws, reducing unduly harsh sentences for crack violations and repealing the five-year mandatory minimum for simple possession of crack cocaine.  This is the first time that a mandatory minimum drug sentence has been repealed since the Nixon Administration.

The new law does not eliminate the mandatory minimum for trafficking crack cocaine, however the infamous 100-to-1 sentencing ratio is now reduced to 18-to-1.  Moving forward, 28 grams of crack cocaine will trigger a five-year prison sentence and 280 grams of crack will trigger a 10-year sentence.  The law could affect an estimated 3,000 cases annually, reducing sentences by an average of about two years and saving an estimated $42 million over five years.  The new law also increases sentences for drug offenses involving vulnerable victims, violence and other aggravating factors.”

For more detailed information about the history of the federal crack disparity and the changes that will result under the new law, go to the following link at FAMM’s website, www.famm.org.