Heroin Trafficking Act

[Page 361]The Heroin Trafficking Act was introduced in 1973 in response to the dramatic rise in heroin use in the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. It was aimed at increasing the sentences for morphine and heroin trafficking and possession offenses. The proposed penalties included mandatory minimum sentences for first offenses in trafficking, denial of parole and probation in most cases, and mandatory life sentences for repeated trafficking offenses of over four ounces. Ultimately, however, the proposed Heroin Trafficking Act was not passed and was never implemented.