ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, November 20, 1996 TAG: 9611200068
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
Crack, powder equal in effect, not in jail time
ATLANTA - Disparate federal prison sentences for those who sell powder and crack cocaine are ``excessive'' because the effects of both forms of the drug are similar, a noted medical journal says.
The 10-year-old federal sentencing guidelines are widely criticized because they set the same minimum mandatory sentence of five years in prison for possessing five milligrams of crack cocaine as for possessing 500 milligrams of powder cocaine.
The harsher sentences for crack users have been applied to blacks 22 times more often than whites even though more whites use crack, said the Journal of the American Medical Association in today's issue.
The JAMA study was based on reviews of research on differences and similarities between crack and cocaine hydrochloride, the medical term for powder cocaine.
The JAMA study says that cocaine, whether smoked as crack or injected as cocaine hydrochloride, ``leads to the same physiological and behavioral effects.''
``Instead of using the differences between crack cocaine and cocaine hydrochloride to justify enormous differences in prison sentences for those convicted of selling cocaine, focusing on approaches that could lead to better treatment and prevention is a more constructive and ultimately more cost-effective approach to this issue,'' the study says.
Last year, the U.S. Sentencing Commission urged that the sentencing disparity ratio be leveled, but Attorney General Janet Reno and Congress said no.
- Cox News Service
Defibrillators to fly aboard American
WASHINGTON - American Airlines said Tuesday it would have portable defibrillators on its overseas flights by next spring and on all foreign and domestic flights by the end of 1998, the first U.S. air carrier to adopt the lifesaving devices.
At the same time, the airline said it planned to ``greatly enhance'' its onboard medical kits.
The Tribune reported in June that the number of passenger deaths aboard U.S. carriers was probably 114 to 360 a year.
- Chicago Tribune
`Low-fat' milk a little too chubby
WASHINGTON - The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday ordered milk labels changed by 1998 to give a better idea of how much fat is in the glass.
Jugs of 2 percent milk now labeled ``low-fat'' will be ``reduced fat.'' Only 1 percent milk can be called ``low-fat,'' while skim milk can be advertised as ``fat-free'' or ``nonfat.''
Consumer advocates complained that Americans were misled into believing milk with 2 percent fat was healthier than it actually is.
Two percent milk is better for adults cutting fat intake than whole milk, which has 3.3 percent fat. (Whole milk still is the best choice for young children.)
- Associated Press
LENGTH: Medium: 63 linesby CNB