(Historically the differences were tha the poor used crack cocaine, while the affluent used powder form of cocaine.)
Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a memo to all federal prosecutors on Friday instructing them to end sentencing disparities in case involving the distribution of crack and powder cocaine.
Why it matters: The current policy — that possession of 28g of crack cocaine triggers a mandatory minimum five-year prison sentence, compared with 500g of powder cocaine — has led to the disproportionate incarceration of Black people.
The details: Garland's memo instructs prosecutors to charge and make sentencing recommendations for crack cocaine defendants no differently than for defendants in powder cocaine cases.