By Daniel Stefanski |

Arizona legislators are one step closer to acting on an outdated criminal justice statute.

This week, the Arizona House of Representatives approved HB 2720 “to eliminate the sentencing disparity between crack cocaine and powder cocaine in Arizona’s legal code.” The bill was sponsored by State Representative Leo Biasiucci.

The bill passed the state House with a 59-0 vote (with one member not voting).

According to a press release from the Arizona House of Representatives, the proposal, if enacted into law, would “consolidate the threshold amount for cocaine base and hydrolyzed cocaine with the nine-gram threshold already established for powder cocaine, eliminat[ing] the outdated 750-miligram threshold for crack cocaine, a policy widely criticized for disproportionately targeting lower-income offenders without scientific justification.”

In a statement that accompanied the announcement of the bill’s progress, Biasiucci said, “For too long, Arizona’s laws have imposed an unjust sentencing disparity on two chemically identical substances. HB 2720 ensures our justice system is guided by facts and fairness, not outdated policies from nearly 40 years ago. It’s time for Arizona to align with the federal government and the majority of states that have already fixed this inequity.”

Representative Biasiucci added, “This is about being smart on crime. Punishment should fit the crime, and our laws shouldn’t unfairly penalize one group over another for the same offense.”

Earlier this month, the Arizona House Committee on the Judiciary gave the bill the green light with a unanimous 9-0 vote.

On the Arizona Legislature’s Request to Speak system, representatives from Dreamcorps, Justice Action Network, Justice Action Network, and Arizona Attorneys for Criminal Justice signed in to support the bill.

HB 2720 will now advance to the Arizona Senate for consideration.

Daniel Stefanski is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.