# Crack Cocaine vs Powder Cocaine distinction in our laws is a terrible policy **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 15, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810 "2008-11-15T03:40:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/1 "2008-11-15T03:40:31Z")
> [@Wikipedia](#): > > Whereas it is a 5-year minimum sentence for trafficking 500g of powdered cocaine, the same sentence can be imposed for mere possession of 5 grams of crack cocaine, a 100:1 ratio. There is no mandatory minimum sentence for mere possession of powder cocaine. I challenge anyone on this message board to come up with a sensible reason why crack and powder cocaine should be treated unequally under the law. As far as I can tell, this is a concrete example of institutional racism in action. Crack cocaine is popular in black inner city communities, and powder cocaine is more commonly found amongst richer white circles. If you don’t want to appear “soft of drugs”, I understand.. But to treat these two differently makes no sense. Both drugs are pharmacologically identical in effect! Any volunteers? ---
**Author:** ![Tenebras](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/977dab/32.png) [@Tenebras](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tenebras)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/2 "2008-11-15T03:58:21Z")
Cocaine in its powdered form has many legitimate uses outside of pharmacological entertainment, so it makes sense that the penalties are lighter for possessing it. For instance, if you wanted to shut down the Congress you could put a bit of powdered cocaine in a letter marked ANTHRAX and mail it to the Speaker of the House. Ok, I admit it. I got nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/3 "2008-11-15T04:55:20Z")
It seems to me that the obvious difference is that crack is stronger, not that black people use crack and whites use powder. ---
**Author:** ![MrBerious](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MrBerious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrBerious)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/4 "2008-11-15T05:16:04Z")
Crack has a terrible name! It even sounds violent, crack. Also when was the last time you heard of a “Cocaine Ho”? I never considered the racial angle. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/5 "2008-11-15T05:23:32Z")
> [@Tenebras](#): > > Cocaine in its powdered form has many legitimate uses outside of pharmacological entertainment, so it makes sense that the penalties are lighter for possessing it. I know you’re joking, [but](http://www.rxlist.com/cocaine-drug.htm): > [@rxlist.com](#): > > Cocaine Hydrochloride topical solution is indicated for the introduction of local (topical) anesthesia of accessible mucous membranes of the oral, laryngeal and nasal cavities Also, the OP is right. Adding baking soda to a substance shouldn’t make the penalties a hundred times greater. That’s just absurd. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/6 "2008-11-15T05:31:02Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It seems to me that the obvious difference is that crack is stronger, not that black people use crack and whites use powder. What Chronos said. Also, Judges have [sentencing discretion](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i.l.cnn.net/cnn/2007/US/law/12/10/scotus.crack.cocaine/art.crack.dea.jpg&imgrefurl=http://fairproxy.com/2007/12/10/high-court-rules-on-crack-powder-cocaine-sentences/&usg=__Z7vqXSriJPrCscEVRsGoFh2zTZw=&h=219&w=292&sz=9&hl=en&start=7&um=1&tbnid=WZ3XsLweJ78UjM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=115&prev=/images%3Fq%3D5%2Bgrams,crack%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGIK_enUS271US271%26sa%3DN)specifically regarding crack. Crack is not a racial issue, it’s a financial issue. It’s an equal opportunity destroyer of lives. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/7 "2008-11-15T06:16:39Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > Crack is not a racial issue, it’s a financial issue. It’s an equal opportunity destroyer of lives. It is still an example of institutional racism. Regardless of the slight corerection by SCOTUS, the penalties imposed by law are totally disproportionate to the effects of the drugs. Passing those laws in an alarmist stampede in 1986, based on stupid scare stories of “instant addicition” and “ten” (or 100) “times the potency,” might not have been deliberate racism. However, the actual medical studies had debunked both claims within twelve months of the passage of those laws. The Congressional refusal to adjust them accordingly for over 20 years when the medical judgment is that there is no basis for the disparity and the enforcement disproportionately disrupts the inner city community is an example of institutional racism. There is less concern to make the laws fair for the black community and there is a paternalistic thrust to the laws that we need to treat the black community differently. I doubt that any Congresscritter seriously wishes to impose greater harm on the black community, but there is no similar effort to impose the same harsh controls on the white community. That is pretty much the definition of institutional racism. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/8 "2008-11-15T06:43:02Z")
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s _National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 2006_, [as reported on this page](http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2008/10/19CGSENTENCE1.pdf) (.pdf), just over 19% of whites and 14% of blacks have ever used cocaine in some form. When we look at the rates for crack vs powder, however, the rates are Crack: 5.3% of blacks vs 3.3% of whites Powder: 9% of blacks vs 16% of whites. If the Federal law enforcement agencies targeted all users equally, rather than concentrating on busting people where they can get longer prison sentences to justify their expenses, then a much greater percent of white society (and a smaller percent of black society) would currently be in prison with felony convictions messing up their lives. Disparate enforcement, prosecution, and sentencing based on 22 year old scare mongering and 21 years of refusing to adjust the law or the enforcement practices has a disproportionate negative effect on the black community. That is institutional racism. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/9 "2008-11-15T07:04:52Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > It is still an example of institutional racism. Regardless of the slight corerection by SCOTUS, the penalties imposed by law are totally disproportionate to the effects of the drugs. > > Passing those laws in an alarmist stampede in 1986, based on stupid scare stories of “instant addicition” and “ten” (or 100) “times the potency,” might not have been deliberate racism. However, the actual medical studies had debunked both claims within twelve months of the passage of those laws. I don’t know where you get the racial element to this. It affects white communities equally based on income. It’s a financial issue. As far as the disproportionate affect of the drug is concerned I would say crack is more detrimental than cocain to a community and ultimately that is what the courts are fighting against. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/10 "2008-11-15T08:27:25Z")
I am reminded of a scene from Family Guy. (slightly paraphrased but the exchange was very close to this with the punchline completely intact) Brian enters the living room to see Peter smoking a crack pipe. Brian: Peter, my God, you’re smoking _crack_? Where did you even _get_ crack? Peter: From blacks. Brian: Really? Peter: Yeah, right behind Black’s Hardware Store there’s a white guy selling crack. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/11 "2008-11-15T15:24:37Z")
> [@Tenebras](#): > > Cocaine in its powdered form has many legitimate uses outside of pharmacological entertainment, so it makes sense that the penalties are lighter for possessing it. I know you’re ‘tongue in cheek’, but just FTR, cocaine’s legitimate pharmaceutical uses are real but miniscule. Most physicians will go through their entire careers without ever needing to administer it to a patient. And there’s no logical reason to reduce the sentence of someone illegally using a drug which has legal uses, as far as I can figure. I don’t believe that penalties are harsher for distributing heroin than they are for oxycontin. At least not in my jurisdiction. Drug policy in this nation is f\*\*\*ed up . ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/12 "2008-11-15T18:24:56Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > I challenge anyone on this message board to come up with a sensible reason why crack and powder cocaine should be treated unequally under the law. Too bad you weren’t around twenty years ago when black community leaders were calling crack cocaine a form of “genocide” and demanding that the federal government make a priority out of interdicting the crack and other drugs which were supposedly devastating their communities. Here’s a quote from a Time Magazine article from 1986: > [@](#): > > Crack has all but consumed parts of neighborhoods such as Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant and the South Bronx that are primarily made up of poor blacks. Says the Rev. Wendell Foster, a Bronx city councilman: “It’s a new form of genocide.” > > * * * > > Last week New York’s United Black Church Appeal launched a valiant campaign against the drug [crack cocaine]. Some 200 ministers, celebrities and antidrug activists participated in street-corner rallies and 24-hour vigils in areas where crack is sold. “The house is on fire,” said Actor Ossie Davis at a rally in Harlem. “Those of us who care have to ring the alarm bell.” While calling for greater community action, organizers of the campaign mocked the Federal Government’s efforts to stop drug trafficking, including the raids in Bolivia. “I’ll never understand why, if they’re serious about a drug bust, they decide to announce it to the world a week before they make it,” said Comedian and Liberal Activist Dick Gregory. “And then they’re surprised when they can’t find any of the people they’re looking for.” And who are dealing drugs in black neighborhoods? Duh. Black people. So obviously the natural and probable result of stepping up drug enforcement in black neighborhoods is to put more black people in jail. Again, duh. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/13 "2008-11-15T18:36:18Z")
Expensive cocaine doesn’t devastate affluent communities, but apparently crack can devastate poor communities so I don’t see it as a racial issue at all. We’re doing what we can to save poor communities. It’s only racism if it’s based solely on race. If race just happens to be coincidental, too fucking bad. ---
**Author:** ![villa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@villa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/villa)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/14 "2008-11-15T18:38:41Z")
> [@MrBerious](#): > > Also when was the last time you heard of a “Cocaine Ho”? Do ex-girlfriends count? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/15 "2008-11-15T18:39:35Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > I know you’re ‘tongue in cheek’, but just FTR, cocaine’s legitimate pharmaceutical uses are real but miniscule. Most physicians will go through their entire careers without ever needing to administer it to a patient. Out of curiosity, what would be the reason for using cocaine - with the stigma that comes with it - over some other topical? Why does anybody use it at all? ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/16 "2008-11-15T18:44:26Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > Too bad you weren’t around twenty years ago when black community leaders were calling crack cocaine a form of “genocide” and demanding that the federal government make a priority out of interdicting the crack and other drugs which were supposedly devastating their communities. > > Here’s a quote from a Time Magazine article from 1986: > > And who are dealing drugs in black neighborhoods? Duh. Black people. So obviously the natural and probable result of stepping up drug enforcement in black neighborhoods is to put more black people in jail. > > Again, duh. I’m guessing their concern was about the people actually bringing the drugs _in_ to the city - the ones making millions off the stuff. Those dudes are usually white. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/17 "2008-11-15T18:59:26Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > It seems to me that the obvious difference is that crack is stronger, not that black people use crack and whites use powder. Crack isn’t stronger than cocaine. In fact, crack is less potent than powdered cocaine, weight for weight. It’s just crack is usually smoked, which gets it to the brain quicker than snorting. But powdered cocaine can be injected, which causes an even more intense “rush” than smoking crack because a higher dose can be delivered to the brain at once. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/18 "2008-11-15T19:17:37Z")
Making drug use illegal is a terrible policy. This is just the tip of the iceburg. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/19 "2008-11-15T19:34:09Z")
> [@](#): > > Crack isn’t stronger than cocaine. In fact, crack is less potent than powdered cocaine, weight for weight. I stand corrected, then. If it’s not stronger, then why is it more popular among low-income users? ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810/20 "2008-11-15T19:37:11Z")
> [@neutron\_star](#): > > I’m guessing their concern was about the people actually bringing the drugs _in_ to the city - the ones making millions off the stuff. Those dudes are usually white. Guess as much as you like, but do you have a cite about the racial makeup of typical crack distribution network in the United States? My understanding is that cocaine is normally smuggled in in powdered form and is generally converted to crack later by drug gangs in relatively small quantities. I did a google search and found an example of one such cracklab: [http://www.lakecountymeg.org/Police%20Raid%20Waukegan%20Crack%20Factory.htm](http://www.lakecountymeg.org/Police%20Raid%20Waukegan%20Crack%20Factory.htm) > [@](#): > > Brandy Johnson, 25, who police said lives in the condo, and Jeffrey Collier, 33, of 2410 Cannel Blvd., were arrested and charged with possession of cocaine with the intent to deliver. > > Shanes said the amount of crack cocaine seized was especially significant because the drug is usually prepared in much smaller quantities. > > “Dealers generally do not have that much crack cocaine on hand at any one time,” Shanes said. “It is sold in small quantities, so people usually only prepare what is needed to be sold over a short period of time.” Anyway, I have no doubt that whites and hispanics get busted too for manufacturing and distributing crack. I don’t think it affects my point however. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/crack-cocaine-vs-powder-cocaine-distinction-in-our-laws-is-a-terrible-policy/472810.md?page=2)