Is This A Step Forward or A Step Backwards

President Obama signed a bill yesterday that narrows the sentencing differences between those caught with crack and those caught with powder cocaine. Obama said the old law disproportionately affected young African-American and Hispanic drug users.

Under the old law, a person caught with five grams of crack received a mandatory sentence of five years in prison, while a person caught with powder cocaine had to have 500 grams to receive the same penalty. Under the new law, a crack user would have to have 28 grams for that term -- roughly the amount you'd have to possess to be considered a dealer.