Revising Federal Drug Sentencing Guidelines to Better Match Sanctions to Harms

The U.S. Sentencing Guidelines are of pivotal importance to what are collectively some of the most consequential drug policy decisions made by the federal government. As a result, they receive considerable scrutiny. Two recurring themes in recent years have been the balancing—or lack of balancing—between weight and role, and the basis for judging what relative weights of different drugs should be treated similarly. This article proposes approaches to these questions that, while surely imperfect, may prove to be important constructive steps that do not require jettisoning the overall approach.