Opinion ID: 314281
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Increasing Severity of the Legislation of the 1950's

Text: 146 Understanding of pertinent Congressional intent will be aided by first recalling the Federal narcotics legislation of the 1950's, laws that have been characterized as the turning of the screw. 147 The mandatory minimum, no probation, no-parole provisions of the Federal laws were not in the original Jones-Miller and Harrison Acts. These features were installed by amendment in 1951 and 1956, in reaction to the rising tide of drug abuse. 148 The Boggs Act of 1951, P.L. 82-255, 65 Stat. 767, placed a two-year minimum sentence on convictions under the Jones-Miller and Harrison laws. The Senate Report deemed prevailing sentences unequal to the task of stemming drug abuse. 17 It would appear . . . that the punishment which has been afforded narcotic law violators has not been an effective deterrent. 18 149 The Price Daniel Act of 1956, P.L. 84-728, 70 Stat. 567, raised the minimum penalty for a violation of the Jones-Miller law to five years, and in addition, introduced the no-probation provision codified at 26 U.S.C. Sec. 7237(d). 19 The House Report stated: Drug addiction is not a disease. 20 It evidenced considerable optimism that increasing penalties would cope with the drug problem. It claimed the 1951 penalties had reduced narcotic traffic, 21 that illicit traffic continues in problem areas where leniency with respect to sentencing of convicted traffickers is an established pattern in the courts. 22 It recommended increasing severity in sentences as justified by the factual evidence proving the deterring value of severe penalties for narcotic and marihuana law violations. 23