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 Incarceration 
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In my Learner Diversity class in block we have been studying the same topics. Our professor gave us a quiz and one of the questions went as follows: Powder cocaine-largely used by white people- and crack cocaine- used largely by Latinos and African Americans- contain about the same amount of the drug per gram. In order to be convicted of possession and sentenced to a mandatory five years in prison...whites had to have over 500 grams of powder and the Latinos and African Americans could be convicted when having only 5 grams. This is a really shocking fact and just goes to show how you can buy your way out of almost anything.

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Ashley McGlothlin


Fri Mar 05, 2004 9:46 pm
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i remember talking about that in class ashley and i could not believe it! laws like that, ones that are simply unfair and, perhaps as dr. king would say, unjust, are alive and well in our nation. isn't it sad that most people are unaware that they even exist at all?


Wed Mar 17, 2004 11:51 pm
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I agree with you Heather in that I think Dr. King would call this an unjust law. I think this would be a law that would be worth protesting because it is not equal among all races.

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Ashley Bagwell


Thu Mar 18, 2004 12:08 pm
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I agree with both of you and i think it's just ridiculous that laws like this still exist today. It makes me wonder how many other laws their are like this and how the government can get away with their existance. Just makes one wonder...


Thu Mar 18, 2004 12:45 pm
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Wow! That is a surprise. I wasn't aware of any laws like the one you described. If more people knew about laws like these, do you think a difference could be made? I personally don't believe that people think they can make a difference in things (like this law) so they just leave it alone. I don't know why this is but even I am guilty. I mostly blame it on "I'm to busy" or "It's not going to make a difference." What do you think? Could someone like me make a difference?

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Melissa Call made it


Thu Mar 18, 2004 1:32 pm
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ashley i am right there with you. that shocks me to think that there are laws like that. It just seems unethical to me. I cant beleive that it has gone this long without someone saying something about it or trying to change the law. its hard to say if something like us could help change it becuase to the people up there it seems like we dont matter. does that makes sense!!??? :lol:

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Kelly Ann Ellis


Thu Mar 18, 2004 2:25 pm
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that's a crazy crazy law that is soooooo full of bull shit. 5 grams or 500 it's still considered a drug and still illegal ... right?


Thu Mar 18, 2004 5:23 pm
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Crack cocaine is a lot more harmful to your health than powder cocaine, which I believe is the reason they made that law the way they did. If everyone is so upset about it (cocaine users), why don't they all do powder cocaine OR NOT DO IT AT ALL. I don't believe that law was made to discriminate or anything like that.

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Erin Martin


Sat Mar 20, 2004 11:08 am
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i'm a little skeptical of this...i have to agree more with erin...

before we get so upset, i'm wondering how long this law has been implemented and under what circumstances, etc....sorry guys, i'm just not one to initially believe a statement-especially when it's taken out of context. AND, every writer has an agenda...

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Angela Hewett


Sat Mar 20, 2004 7:00 pm
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Cocaine is cocaine regardless of how it is used. I don't think you need to have more of one or the other to be sentenced. I found some web-sites that may be useful to look at:

http://www.americasdebate.com/forums/in ... topic=2653

http://www.aclu.org/DrugPolicy/DrugPoli ... 0360&c=229

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Ashley McGlothlin


Sun Mar 21, 2004 6:40 pm
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those are some great websites ashley...very interesting...
i still cannot possibly see a good reason for the original creation of that law besides that it was a gross over-reaction to media attention. even those who were trying desperately to argue their points that the law isn't racially biased really didn't prove anything to me at all. to me the numbers say enough...


Mon Mar 22, 2004 7:38 pm
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I don’t know what to make of this. I’m inclined to agree that this difference might not be completely racially based, but statistics have a way of pulling you one way or the other.
Either way, I think that illegal drugs should carry the same sentence for the possession of any amount of any drug. If it is illegal, then it is illegal. Why should there be a difference?

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Andrew Voss


Tue Mar 23, 2004 7:13 pm
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