U.S. drug chief seeks fair cocaine sentencing

In a speech at the Mount Washington Conference Center yesterday, Barry R.
McCaffrey, President Clinton's chief drug adviser, repeated his support for
a federal panel's proposal for fair sentencing for people convicted of
possessing crack cocaine.

The AntiDrug Abuse Act of 1988 calls for a mandatory fiveyear sentence
for possession of more than 5 grams of crack cocaine; but a firsttime
conviction for possession of powder cocaine is punishable by no more than a
year in prison. The panel said the difference between the penalties should
be reduced.

McCaffrey spoke at a conference titled "The Crack Decade: Research
Perspectives and Lessons Learned". The twoday meeting, which ended
yesterday, was sponsored by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the
National Institute of Justice.