10-2872 & 10-3079 U.S. v. Longstreet

10-1430 & 10-1657 U.S. v. George

Controlled Substances Possession; sufficiency of the evidence

Controlled Substances Cocaine base “[C]ocaine base,” as used in 21 U.S.C. 841(b)(1), means not just “crack co-caine,” but cocaine in its chemically basic form. The most natural reading of “cocaine base” in clause (iii) is cocaine in its chemically basic form—i.e., the molecule found in crack cocaine, freebase, and coca paste. On its plain terms, then, “cocaine base” reaches more ...

A remarkable thing happened at the Republican debate in South Carolina earlier this month. One of the candidates proposed legalizing controlled substances, and asked whether anyone would begin using heroin just because it was legal.

Sentencing Controlled substances; firearms A combined 75-month sentence is reasonable for convictions of possession of a firearm as a felon, possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense. “Under all the circumstances, I found a sentence of 15 months on the § 922(g) and § 841 counts, followed by ...