Chemists have reported the development of what is being called an exceptionally powerful substance for eliminating cocaine from the human body. This discovery creates a potential new drug for cocaine addiction and overdoses - an advance that could lead to the first effective treatment for overdoses and addictions of cocaine. The results and findings are published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, a weekly publication.

U.S. District Judge Richard P. Conaboy called a portion of 1986’s Anti-Drug Abuse Act that treated crack offenders “A bad piece of legislation, badly written.”

The sentencing is 100 times more harshly than those involved with powder cocaine.

So Judge Conaboy is delighted to finally see a change in federal sentencing guidelines that took effect in March. The change reduces sentences for crack offenders and has been applied to cases that have already gone through sentencing.

Under the old guidelines, a person selling 5 grams of crack would be sentenced to at least five years in prison. A person selling 500 grams of powder cocaine would get the same minimum sentence.

Critics say the disparity unfairly punished minorities and the poor, who are more likely to buy and sell crack because it’s a cheaper, more potent high. Indeed, of the 4,941 people eligible for a reduction under the change in guidelines, 4,200 are black, according to information collected by the U.S. Sentencing Commission.

So far, applications for sentence reductions have been filed for nearly 200 defendants across the Middle District of Pennsylvania, which spans 33 counties, including Lackawanna and Luzerne.

Judges have granted reductions in 136 cases and rejected another 57, according to statistics kept at Scranton’s federal probation office. The local cases join more than 7,000 crack offenders around the nation who have received sentence reductions since March.

No quick fix

But the change has been a long time in the works, Judge Conaboy and other court officials say.

From 1994 to 1998, Judge Conaboy was chairman of the U.S. Sentencing Commission, a group that sets and steers federal sentencing policies and practices. Even then, one of the commission’s priorities was trying to convince legislators to narrow the gap between crack and powder cocaine  prison sentences.

“It takes such a long, long time to get anything done in Washington,” the judge said. “Over the years, those efforts were rejected by Congress.”

But since the change took effect, the flood of requests has kept federal public defenders especially busy, since a vast majority of those eligible cannot afford attorneys.

The Middle District’s chief public defender, Jim Wade, said the stream of requests has tapered off somewhat. In addition to answering questions from inmates, he and his staffers across the Middle District have been searching for defendants who may not know they’re eligible.

“This means a lot to folks,” Mr. Wade said. “It’s nice to surprise them, tell them they’re eligible for a reduction.”

In the Middle District, the average sentence reduction is somewhere between 15 and 18 months, according to Len Bogart, chief U.S. probation officer in Scranton.

Changing numbers

About 35 percent of inmates across the nation who were granted reductions by federal courts had been released as of May 31, according to the Bureau of Prisons.

Locally, many of those out of prison after a sentence reduction are being sent to Philadelphia or New York, Mr. Bogart said.

That reflects the demographics of drug dealers prosecuted in the Middle District, according to Martin C. Carlson, interim U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.

“While the effects are felt here … many of the defendants are not from here,” Mr. Carlson said.

He also said that his staff, as well as judges and probation officers, are looking hard at every request for a reduction to make sure that releasing someone would not be a threat to public safety. Judges have the ability to reject sentence reductions, even if the defendant is eligible, for a variety of reasons.

“Everyone wants to make sure this change doesn’t have an adverse effect on public safety,” Mr. Carlson said. “What we’re doing is, at three different levels, assessing public safety concerns” before the sentence is reduced.

Researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston are studying a number of medications that may help restore the fragile balance of chemicals or neurotransmitters in the brain destroyed by cocaine abuse, making recovery more possible.”With chronic cocaine use, there are changes in the brain that affect neurotransmitters that are responsible for impulsivity and decision making,” said F. Gerard Moeller, Ph.D.

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The next time you hear that cocaine is not addictive, or that "a liitle can't hurt you", remember-Cocaine Lies. Cocaine affects your brain. The word “cocaine” refers to the drug in both a powder (cocaine) and crystal (crack) form. It is made from the coca plant and causes a short-lived high that is immediately followed by opposite, intense feelings of depression, edginess, and a craving for more of the drug. Cocaine may be snorted as a powder, converted to a liquid form for injection with a needle, or processed into a crystal form to be smoked. Cocaine affects your body. People who use cocaine often don’t eat or sleep regularly. They can experience increased heart rate, muscle spasms, and convulsions. If they snort cocaine, they can also permanently damage their nasal tissue. Cocaine affects your emotions. Using cocaine can make you feel paranoid, angry, hostile, and anxious, even when you’re not high. Cocaine is addictive. Cocaine interferes with the way your brain processes chemicals that create feelings of pleasure, so you need more and more of the drug just to feel normal. People who become addicted to cocaine start to lose interest in other areas of their life, like school, friends, and sports. Cocaine can kill you. Cocaine use can cause heart attacks, seizures, strokes, and respiratory failure. People who share needles can also contract hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, or other diseases. Know the law. Cocaine–in any form–is illegal. Stay informed. Even first-time cocaine users can have seizures or fatal heart attacks. Know the risks. Combining cocaine with other drugs or alcohol is extremely dangerous. The effects of one drug can magnify the effects of another, and mixing substances can be deadly. Be aware. Cocaine is expensive. Regular users can spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on cocaine each week. Stay in control. Cocaine impairs your judgment, which may lead to unwise decisions around sexual activity. This can increase your risk for HIV/AIDS, other diseases, rape, and unplanned pregnancy. Look around you. The vast majority of teens aren’t using cocaine. According to a 2002 study, less than 1 percent of teens are regular cocaine users. In fact, 97 percent of teens have never even tried cocaine.¹ How can you tell if a friend is using cocaine? Sometimes it’s tough to tell. But there are signs you can look for. If your friend has one or more of the following warning signs, he or she may be using cocaine or other illicit drugs:

• Red, bloodshot eyes
• A runny nose or frequent sniffing
• A change in groups of friends
• Acting withdrawn, depressed, tired, or careless about personal appearance
• Losing interest in school, family, or activities he or she used to enjoy
• Frequently needing money

______________ source:  http://ncadi.samhsa.gov

No one beats cocaine abuse without cocaine rehab. No matter how tough you are, no matter how “in-control” you believe yourself to be…you can’t get better without help. Cocaine addiction is a disease, not a choice. No one ever decides to be a junkie. By the same token, no one can ever simply decide to get sober. On the contrary, cocaine recovery is and must be the product of professional cocaine treatment. Given the stakes, you can’t afford anything less than that. The good news is that there are plenty of cocaine rehab facilities in Los Angeles. The only catch is that they aren’t all equally capable of helping their clients.