Democrats And Republicans Agree: Drug Policy Is Too Harsh

[Tx4obama]

Democrats, Republicans Launch New Effort To Fight The Drug War Together

Washington isn’t exactly known for its bipartisan spirit these days, but on Wednesday, Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Va.) and Raul Labrador (R-Idaho) became the latest pair of politicians to reach across the party divide in an effort to scale back the country's punitive drug policies.

They introduced the Smart Sentencing Act, a bill that would reduce sentences for many federal drug crimes. Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced an identical bill in July, and Leahy and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) unveiled similar legislation in March.

The House bill, like its Senate counterpart, would reduce fixed drug sentences known as “mandatory minimums.” Under current law, judges are required to issue 20-year sentences to certain defendants who have been convicted of drug dealing. The new law would cut the length of those sentences in half.

The law also would give judges more leeway in deciding when to apply those mandatory minimums, and it would allow them to reduce certain sentences issued before Aug. 3, 2010, when Congress reformed United States laws against crimes involving crack-cocaine.

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Full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/31/bipartisan-drug-war_n_4183221.html

[Uncle Joe]

1. Kicked and recommended for baby steps.

Thanks for the thread, Tx4obama.

[Blue Owl]

2. It's like agreeing that water is wet

[Jamaal510]

3. Looks like some

of our Congresscritters have been watching Bill Maher lately.

[BlueJazz]

4. Ain't gonna happen. At least not much. The opposing candidate will be screaming at the top...

...of his/her lungs come election time. JOE BLOW IS SOFT ON CRIME !!!!!