Mandatory minimum

A mandatory minimum sentence is imposed pursuant to certain criminal statutes that specify a sentencing range with a lower limit. Some mandatory minimums have been criticized as unfair; for instance, the federal laws regarding crack cocaine are sometimes criticized for imposing a 100:1 crack cocaine:powder cocaine ratio, despite the two drugs' similar, if not identical, pharmacological effect. A defendant who distributes 50 grams of crack is subject to the same mandatory minimum as a defendant who distributes 5 kilograms of powder cocaine, under 21 U.S.C. 841. This law was enacted during the panic over a crack epidemic in the 1980s.