STUDENTS TO LOBBY COCAINE DRUG POLICY

Three Kent State students disagree with the laws concerning drug
policy and are going to Washington to do something about it.

"We see things that need to be changed, and we're going to DC to
change them," said Chris Wallis, president of the Kent State chapter
of Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

Wallis said they will speak with Rep. Tim Ryan and Sens. George
Voinovich and Sherrod Brown about the sentencing difference for
cocaine offenders. The three students will join students from 50 other
chapters of SSDP at colleges nationwide.

According to the press release, federal law requires a five-year
mandatory minimum sentence for possession of 500 grams of powder
cocaine. In comparison, five grams of crack cocaine yields the same
sentencing. This difference has produced a racial disparity in drug
law enforcement, as blacks comprise 88 percent of all federal crack
sentences.

"We're going to tell them (Ryan, Voinovich and Brown) to support this
resolution, not because we want these drugs to be more accessible to
kids," Wallis said, "but we think the law should be based on
scientific fact rather than fear, bias or racism."