If drugs are going to be illegal, should all drugs have the same minimum sentencing?

Question

An example would be making it so that regardless of if you get arrested with heroin, crack, cocaine or prescription drugs, the minimum sentence for all of those drugs would be exactly the same

Answer

I don't think so, seeing it from my prospective working in the court system, there's definitely different levels of usage. Some people are chronic users who will do time wether they are detained or sent to rehab, and still come out and be willing to do it all over again. Some people, were caught doing it once or a couple times and really never want to do it again because it wasn't a good experience but they need help in a rehab. As for the class of different drugs, my state has different maximum and minimum penalities for each substance class, the amount of the drug on or within a person, and much more.

Answer

No. Because this "one punishment fits all" method has already been attempted in the Prohibition eras, and it was proven to fail on societal, economic, and practical judiciary levels.

There are specific drugs assigned to different Classes for a reason (well, several reasons, including potency, degree of addictive potential, and regulation). The illegal use (possession/consumption) of each drug within a particular Class should have the same min (and max) sentencing, but not all drugs of all levels.

Now, there is also the judicial argument that the crimes of manufacturing and possession with intent to sell should also carry a higher minimum sentencing across ALL drug Classes, due to the intent of harm.

Answer

Or we could just do the logical thing and legalize all drugs.  It if we're gonna make using drugs illegal, yes it should be the same sentence. A misdeanor offense with a small fee or community service hours.

Answer

I think their sentencing need to be far less, but many street drugs like coke, ecstasy, heroin should be the same. Prescription drugs I think more. They're either stolen prescriptions from someone or someone is lying to get those prescriptions and selling them. Either way I find that worse in a way.  Weed just needs to be legal already.

If drugs are going to be illegal, should all drugs have the same minimum sentencing?

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