State Representative Leo Biasiucci's (R-30) HB2720, which negates the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine offenses and powder cocaine offenses, has unanimously passed the Arizona House of Representatives.
The bill is a response to the 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act, which notably made possession of crack cocaine a more severe mandatory minimum sentence than possession of powder cocaine. For every one conviction on powder cocaine, there were 100 crack cocaine convictions, with convictions disproportionately affecting Black and Latino populations.
Efforts to reduce the disparity in sentencing have been ongoing at the national and state levels. One of the most notable pieces of legislation, the Fair Sentencing Act of 2010, reduced the 100 to 1 ratio to 18-1.
Does Texas have a constitutional right to defy Supreme Court on protecting its border?
Still, Rep. Biasiucci noted that Arizona has clung to its outdated sentencing limits, which HB2720 seeks to update by consolidating the threshold amount for cocaine base and hydrolyzed cocaine with the nine-gram threshold already established for powder cocaine, replacing the 750-milligram threshold for crack cocaine previously considered in sentencing.
In his press release, Rep. Biasiucci said, "For too long, Arizona's laws have imposed an unjust sentencing disparity on two chemically identical substances. HB2720 ensures our justice system is guided by facts and fairness, not outdated policies from nearly 40 years ago. It's time for Arizona to align with the federal government and the majority of states that have already fixed this inequity."
As a result, the Arizona Congressman continued, "This is about being smart on crime. Punishment should fit the crime, and our laws shouldn't unfairly penalize one group over another for the same offense."
The bill is part of the latest series in Arizona's efforts to tamp down drug trafficking in the Grand Canyon State, with the bipartisan HB2733, introduced by Representative David Marshall (R-7), which authorizes law enforcement to shoot down suspected drones used by the Mexican cartels within 15 miles of the border.
Rep. Marshall called the bill "a critical tool that will help combat cartels and secure our southern border," adding that "we are empowering our law enforcement officers with the authority and legal backing to address this crisis."
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who is supporting the anti-drone bill, similarly said the bill was "an important tool" in fighting the cartels, as Arizona is the "epicenter of this terrible fentanyl crisis," in a recent appearance on Fox News.
