Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last updated June 20, 2016
Cocaine is a relatively powerful and addictive drug derived from the coca leaf, and illegal in all 50 states and under federal law. Some states classify the drug at the highest ranking (schedule I), but the federal government and some other states give it the next-highest ranking (schedule II).
Regardless, there are usually severe penalties for dealers and other offenders of state cocaine laws. Many states impose harsh prison sentences for even simple possession of small amounts of the drug, but more states have moved toward a harm-reduction approach without prison time. For example, a number of states have "drug courts" that provide treatment options for habitual users instead of incarceration.
Alaska, which offers drug court options for certain offenders, allows prison sentences of up to five years (and/or a fine of up to $50,000) for the possession of any amount of cocaine. Dealing any amoung of cocaine is charged as a Class B felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Selling to a minor can result in a virtual life sentence (up to 99 years). See the Anchorage Wellness Felony Drug Court Web site to learn more about drug court in Alaska.
Additional details of Alaska's cocaine laws are listed in the table below. See FindLaw's Drug Charges section to learn more.
| Code Section | 11.71.010, et seq. |
| Possession | Possessing any amount: Class C felony (up to 5 yrs. and/or up to $50,000) |
| Sale | Delivering to one under 19 and at least 3 yrs. younger: unclassified felony (5 - 99 yrs. in prison); Manufactures or delivers any amount: Class B felony (up to 10 yrs. and/or up to $100,000) |
| Trafficking | "Continuing criminal enterprise": unclassified felony (5 - 99 yrs.) |
| Drug Court an Option? | Yes. Alaska "Wellness Courts" offer drug rehabilitation without incarceration in exchange for a guilty plea and regular monitoring. |
Note: State laws are subject to change at any time, usually through the enactment of new legislation or voter-approved ballot initiatives but sometimes through case law and other means. You should contact an Alaska drug crime attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
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