Congresswoman Kathy Castor released the following statement today regarding the passage of the Fair Sentencing Act, which will eliminate disparities in sentencing guidelines between crack and powder cocaine offenses. The Fair Sentencing Act enjoys strong bipartisan support as well as the support of several law enforcement organizations and prosecutors.

“The Fair Sentencing Act reforms the law that created a sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine. The disparity encouraged law enforcement resources to be disproportionately expended on street-level dealers rather than drug traffickers, and disproportionately affected African-Americans. By taking legislative action today, we are fixing this disparity and unfairness in our criminal justice system.”

Under the Fair Sentencing Act, a five-year mandatory minimum sentence would apply to with at least 28 grams of crack. The legislation is supported by the Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP and Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, among other groups. It has passed in the Senate and is now headed to President Obama’s desk for his signature.