The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 was a law of the War on Drugs passed by the U.S. Congress. Among other things, they changed the system of federal supervised release from a rehabilitative system into a punitive system. The 1986 Act also prohibited controlled substance analogs. The bill enacted new mandatory minimum sentences for drugs, including marijuana.
Video Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986
History
The appearance of crack cocaine, the deaths of some well-known sports stars, and concerned parents joined together to create a moral panic surrounding cocaine use, which had earlier been viewed in a more benign or even positive way. In the autumn of 1986, the executive and legislative branches competed over which could propose the most severe laws.
House Democrats expressed considerable concern about the provisions of the bill. However, most ultimately voted for it, describing election pressures and fear of criticism as swaying their decision. Representative Mike Lowry (D), who voted against the bill, described the process as "legislation by political panic". Representative Charles Schumer (D), who voted in favor of the bill, said "the policies are aimed at looking good rather than solving the problem." It was passed in the House with a 378-16 majority on October 17, 1986.
Maps Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986
Contents
Money Laundering Control Act
The Money Laundering Control Act of 1986 was enacted as Title I of the Anti-Drug Abuse Act. This title criminalized money laundering for the first time in the United States. It also amended the Bank Secrecy Act, the Change in Bank Control Act, and the Right to Financial Privacy Act
Drug crimes
Along with the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984, the act substantially increased the number of drug offenses with mandatory minimum sentences.
This act mandated a minimum sentence of 5 years without parole for possession of 5 grams of crack cocaine while it mandated the same for possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine. This 100:1 disparity was reduced to 18:1, when crack was increased to 28 grams (1 ounce) by the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010.
Spending
The act authorized billions of dollars of spending, although substantially less was actually appropriated. Some of this was used to increase the substance abuse treatment federal block grant program, although treatment providers were disappointed at the reduced appropriations following politicians' earlier promises and authorization.
Other programs funded by the act included drug counseling and education programs, AIDS research, and international cooperation to limit drug production.
The Act also included the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act, which required colleges to establish drug abuse education and prevention programs.
Impact
The law led to an increase in average time imprisoned for drug crimes from 22 months to 33 months.
See also
- Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988
- War on Drugs
Citations
References
Further reading
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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