The Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 [the Act] was enacted for several reasons. One of the provisions of the law was to introduce mandatory minimum sentences for people convicted of possessing a particular quantity of crack cocaine and powder cocaine. Individuals convicted of possession of 5 grams of crack cocaine will receive a mandatory minimum of 5 years in prison. Individuals convicted of possession of 500 grams of powder cocaine would receive the same mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years. This ultimately means that an individual would have to be in possession of 100 times as much powder cocaine as crack cocaine to receive the same sentence. Congress justified this 100-to-1 sentencing disparity by pointing to the serious social harms that crack use was associated with. Although crack and powder cocaine are the same chemical, crack is sold cheaper on the street and can be smoked, which induces a shorter and more intense intoxicating effect (Brown, 2004). In 1986, when the law was enacted, there were twenty-one African American members of Congress. Of these twenty-one, eleven voted in favor of the law. Although, as Kennedy states, we cannot understand the reasoning behind the votes because “a representative might oppose some parts of a bill but favor others enough to support the legislation as a whole” (Kennedy, 1997, pg 370) . As Kennedy states, we cannot understand the reasons why we voted for the bill, but it is clear that before the vote none of the African American members of Congress claimed that the bill was racially biased. However, before the law was even introduced to Congress, the idea behind the crack epidemic was presented to them. Charles Rangel, an African American... middle of paper... will have much of Congress bypassing routine procedure in the rush to legislate. But… there is nothing that forces Congress to follow a predetermined course” (Kennedy, 1997, p. 374). Congress could pass a law as quickly as it sees fit. It is not necessary to carefully listen to each side's arguments before deciding whether or not to vote on the law. I think the ratio could be significantly elevated and perhaps it could be reduced, but Congress did not act in a racist manner in passing the law. Instead, Congress was concerned about the well-being of African-American communities devastated by crack. Works Cited Kennedy, R. (1997). Race, crime and law. New York: Vintage Books.Brown, D. K. (2004). Drug Abuse Act (1986). Enciclopedia.com. Retrieved November 30, 2010, from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3407400021.html