H.R. 1466

The Major Drug Trafficking Prosecution Act of 2009

On March 12, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) introduced H.R. 1466, the “Major Drug Trafficking Prosecution Act of 2009.’’  The bill would eliminate all mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses; curb federal prosecutions of low-level drug offenders; and allow courts to place offenders on probation or suspend their sentence. FAMM supports this legislation.

In a speech to Congress, Rep. Waters cited “Correcting Course: Lessons from the 1970 Repeal of Mandatory Minimums,” FAMM’s 2008 report on how Congress first enacted mandatory drug sentences in the 1950s, then repealed them 20 years later because they failed to reduce drug trafficking.