Death for Two Ounces of Marijuana
It's hard to imagine that the Drug War could get even more perverse and
savage than it already is. But leave it to Congress to stretch the
boundaries of the possible. On September 25 -- just in time for
election-season tub-thumping -- Newt Gingrich introduced H.R. 4170, the
"Drug Importer Death Penalty Act of 1996." Over two dozen prominent
Republicans swiftly endorsed it.
The bill supposedly is designed to increase penalties for major drug
smugglers. But according to the Marijuana Policy Project, a lobbying group,
the bill would mostly effect small-time users of various drugs. Individuals
convicted of entering the country with merely *two ounces* or more of
marijuana -- a small amount that easily fits in a pocket -- would receive a
mandatory sentence of life in federal prison without parole. If convicted of
a second offense (presumably the first offense would have to be committed
before the enactment of this law), the bill mandates the death penalty.
Congress adjourned before H.R. 4170 could be taken up. But it can easily be
reintroduced in 1997.
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