Washington Post: Biden administration endorses bill to end disparity in drug sentencing between crack and powder cocaine
The Biden administration endorsed legislation Tuesday that would end the disparity in sentences between crack and powder cocaine offenses that President Biden helped create decades ago, a step that highlights how his attitudes on drug laws have shifted over his long tenure in elected office.
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To that end, one of the witnesses testifying in favor of the bill Tuesday is Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, a Republican who led the Drug Enforcement Administration under President George W. Bush.
“The sentencing disparity is unfair,” Hutchinson testified, “and undermines confidence in our criminal justice system.”
Russell Coleman, a former counsel to now-Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky, will also promote the legislation at the hearing Tuesday morning.
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Holly Harris, president and executive director of the Justice Action Network, told The Post that the White House endorsement of the legislation was “remarkable.”
“When those on the front lines battling drug abuse and violence stand up to support reform, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle should listen to them,” she said in a statement to The Post. “We urge leadership in both chambers to prioritize this legislation, end this decades-long injustice, and help law enforcement build trust with the communities they serve.”