Anti-drug laws

Is it worth talking to your children about anti-drug laws, enforcement, and consequences for violation After all, so the argument goes, if children are determined to use illicit substances, then concern for the law, or for risks from breaking it, is not likely to keep them from following through on their intent. 

Although answers to these questions are open to debate, the existence of anti-drug laws and their enforcement is not. It is a reality that children need to understand and accept. Therefore, parents should talk to their children about three kinds of violations and the consequences that can follow Possession, Use, and Sale of prohibited substances. 

To be arrested for illegal use in a foreign country means being subject to that country s anti-drug laws, including possible long-term imprisonment. Being an American citizen is no protection. The local United States consulate does not have the authority to get American offenders out of jail. 

Coca leaves were brought to Europe by the Spanish conquistadores, and cocaine was isolated from the leaves in the 1860s. In 1863, the French chemist Angelo Mariani created the tonic Vin Mariani , an extract of coca in Bordeaux wine. The non-alcoholic version Coca-Cola was invented in 1886 by the American Pharmacist John Pemberton, who mixed extracts of coca leaves and caffeine-containing cola nuts with soda. With the introduction of the first anti-drug laws in the USA in 1906, however, only decocainized leaves were used for the production of Coca-Cola. 

United States Congress passes Anti-Drug Abuse Act. This federal law includes mandatory minimum sentences for first-time offenders with harsher penalties for possession of crack cocaine than powder cocaine. 

In the 1970s there was a resurgence of powder cocaine use. This preceded the epidemic of crack cocaine in the 1980s. Because crack cocaine is cheaper than powder, it became more readily available to the young and the poor. Crack addiction and crime began to increase rapidly and this increase was publicized in the media. In response to public concern, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and 1988 was passed. Known sometimes as the 100 1 law, this federal law includes mandatory minimum sentences for first-time offenders. The penalties are much harsher for possession of crack cocaine than powder cocaine. 

The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and 1988 established federal mandatory minimum drug sentencing guidelines. The punishment exacted by the federal law is substantially greater than the punishment imposed by most state laws. For example, someone convicted of cocaine possession that receives a 12-year sentence in the state system may be liable for a mandatory life term if tried in the federal system. Also, most state laws do not differentiate between powder cocaine and crack cocaine. Federal law carries a much harsher penalty for crack than for powder. Possession of five grams of crack or 500... 

While laws continued to be passed over the next seven decades, none proved to be as controversial as the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and 1988. Like the Harrison Act, this law arose during an epidemic of cocaine use. 

Federal Trafficking Penalties, which are outlined in the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and 1988, make a significant distinction between powder cocaine and crack cocaine. A first-time offender convicted for possession of 5 -9 grams of crack cocaine will receive a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and not more than 40 years. Fines for individuals can be up to 2 million. The federal mandatory minimum sentences for powder cocaine begin at 500—4,999 grams and trigger the same sentence. Penalties for convicted second-time offenders are a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years to life, with fines up to 4 million. This law is often referred to... 

National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). Unintended Consequences Drug Czar Admits Federal Anti-Drug Ads Having Opposite Effect on Teens, 2002. http //www.norml.org. 

All at once, those who had used this new adjunct to psychotherapy found themselves on the defensive. And so there began the DEA hearings before administrative-law judge Francis Young, in which professionals who had used MDMA would have to convince an anti-drug agency — which didn t even know of their existence — that this substance both had... 

Anti-Drug Abuse Act (ADA) A federal law passed in 1986 that regulated designer drugs. 

The Illicit Drug Anti-Proliferation Act of 2003 (better known as the Rave Act ) makes operators of nightclubs, concerts, and other venues responsible for drug violations by partygoers. The law has raised concerns that it might be used to target political or cultural gatherings that are unpopular with the authorities. 

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