Can someone tell me what makes a charge a Federal offense as opposed to a State offense, regarding?

Violations of the law based on posession or distribution of drugs is always BOTH a state and federal offense. The question is always whether the fed is interested in prosecuting. Depending on the jurisdiction and the climate, resources, etc, the fed probably will not prosecute, leaving it to the state to do so. The reason that all the talk you have been hearing is about the federal prosecutions is because the sentencing guidelines were only used by federal judges for cases coming before them. To the extent that the disparity btwn crock and powder existed, it was a question of federal law and interpretation of federal law.

To my knowledge -- and it is thin -- states are essentially free to adopt their own sentencing guidelines that comply at least with the federal constitution. If a state opted to adopt a sentencing guideline that had the same crack/powder disparity, it is unlikely that the federal courts could or would do anything about it for a long time. Of course, the argument in the federal court when the guidelines were compulsary, rather than advisory, was that there was an equal protection violation....that is, Blacks who used crack were treated more harshly than whites who used powder. Once crack jumped the color line (if you believe there ever was one or that it did ever jump that line) this argument would fall apart if whites who used crack got the same harsh sentences as blacks who used crack.

In any event, the federal courts never bought that argument and i don't think they would buy it if states adopted the disparity on a state level.

Depends on the jurisdiction of the court involved. If the drugs were moved via U.S. Mail, or if you were in possession of the drugs on Federal Property makes it a federal offense. Federal property can be anything from a military installation to a National Forest, or parking lot of a federal agency building. In that case the person would be prosecuted by federal courts. It has nothing to do with quantity,, quantity only serves to determine whether the amount was an amount that qualifies as intent to distribute which would make the punishment higher.

Your question is not specific enough. Both the federal and state governments have laws regarding cocaine possession and sale, and it is possible that what someone does may be illegal under both federal and state law. A lot of times it would just depend on which one decides to prosecute.

The federal government can only regulate sentencing in federal courts. So any guidelines that Congress comes up with would not affect state inmates, who are under the jurisdiction of the state government.

I can't really tell you when federal charges are triggered in drug offenses because I know there are loopholes in the rule of thumb that I'm about to relate to you... basically if you commit a crime but don't cross state lines or use something federal during the course of the crime you will only face state charges. However if you cross state lines or use something federal (like the post office) during the crime its a federal offense. So if you kidnap someone and take them from San Francisco to LA then its state crimes your looking at, but if you take someone from SF to NY then its federal.

Federal laws and the sentences associated with those crimes are written by the US congress while state laws are created by that state's legislature- this is why there is a difference between the two systems.

it is definitely a rip-off. the subsequent step is the place you deliver most of the money lower back to him. Then, after your verify clears, your financial employer shows out that his verify is drawn on a non-existent financial employer. Your verify has already cleared and so which you lose what you sent, plus the fees for deposting the fraudulent verify. Depositing a bum verify would nicely be a state crime, even though it is not any longer a federal crime.

The kind of laws violated. There ae federal laws, and there are state laws.

If it's discovered that the drugs were distrubuted beyond state lines then it becomes a federal issue.

I believe it has to do with the quantity...but I am concerned about WHY you are asking this question.....