Bill Would Make Powder Cocaine, Crack Penalties the Same

A bill introduced in Congress on Thursday has its eye on changing sentencing rules for powdered and crack cocaine.

U.S. Sen. Richard J. Durbin, D-Ill., said he wants to change the disparity in sentencing between crack and powdered cocaine, increase the quantity of crack cocaine that would spark a mandatory prison term and heavily target large-scale drug traffickers and violent criminals.

Five grams of crack cocaine -- two sugar cubes' worth -- requires a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in jail. That's the same penalty as trafficking 500 grams (or one pound) of powder cocaine.

The Fair Sentencing Act would seek to eliminate what the U.S. Sentencing Commission and civil-rights advocates say is a large gap in incarceration rates between African Americans and whites. Only 25% of crack users are African American but they accounted for 81% of crack convictions in 2007. Advocates hope to reduce the record level of Americans in prison, as well as take into account current research that says crack and powdered cocaine are little different in terms of physiological effects. Durbin said there's also little difference between crack and powder cocaine in terms of violence involved.

"Drug use is a serious problem in America and we need tough legislation to combat it. But in addition to being tough, our drug laws must be smart and fair. Our current cocaine laws are not," Durbin said in a statement. "The sentencing disparity between crack and powder cocaine has contributed to the imprisonment of African Americans at six times the rate of whites and to the United States' position a the world's leader in incarcerations. Congress has talked about addressing this injustice for long enough; it's time to act."

The Washington Post said that a change in the law has been sought since 1986, at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic.

The bill has the support of the Obama administration as well as nine other senators, including Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Crime and Drugs Subcommittee Chairman Arlen Specter (D-Pa.). A similar bill is going through the U.S. House of Representatives.

Smoking Ban Saves Lives, Study Says

A study by the Institute on Health supports bans on smoking in public places, saying that restrictions cause fewer heart attacks and heart disease.

The New York Times said that "exposure to secondhand smoke significantly increased the risk of a heart attack among both smokers and nonsmokers."

Find the story here.

SAMHSA Gives $28.78 Million for Treatment Services

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced that it is awarding more than $28.7 million in funding for up to three years to provide substance abuse treatment and related recovery support services to juvenile and adult offenders returning to the community from incarceration.

Organizations receiving funding under the Offender Reentry Program are expected to plan, develop and provide a successful transition from incarceration to community-based substance abuse treatment and recovery support services for people in need, beginning in the correctional or juvenile facilities – before release.

"Treating substance abuse and providing recovery support services is the key to breaking the well known cycle between incarceration and drug abuse,” said SAMHSA Acting Administrator, Eric Broderick, D.D.S., M.P.H. "This program provides a solid foundation for people working to restart their lives and become productive members of the community."

The grants awarded under the Offender Reentry Program are projected to be funded up to $400,000 per year for three years. The actual award amounts are subject to the availability of funding as well as the progress achieved by the grantees

NYC Wants to Ban All Flavored Tobacco; UK Hides It

The Associated Press says that New York City is thinking about going beyond new federal restrictions on the sale of flavored cigarettes: The New York City Council wants to ban all flavored tobacco.

Meanwhile, the United Kingdom may make make tobacco go behind the counter to protect young people and reformed smokers. Parliament is leaning toward regulations that say shops won't be able to put up displays inside their stores and tobacco vending machines will be outlawed.

"Smoking continues to have a heavy impact on the health of our communities," said UK Public Health Minister Gillian Merron. "Today's children could be tomorrow's smokers. These new plans will help to ensure they are not. Protecting young people from a lifetime of addiction and possible death and disease from smoking is crucial, as is supporting smokers who want to quit."

Homegrown Marijuana Growing Problem in the U.S.

Mexico has for years been the gold standard when it came to illicit marijuana growing. But now small-time production in the United States is wrecking the illegal Mexican trade, the Washington Post said.

Experts say that up to half of all marijuana consumed in the U.S. -- many billions of dollars' worth -- is being produced here. It's a big change from years past, when marijuana came from Mexico and Colombia. That is hurting the bottom line of the Mexican drug cartels, where $8.6 billion of its $13.8 billion in revenue in 2006 came from marijuana sales in the United States, CBS News said.