Crack vs. Cocaine Powder is a Black and White Issue?

Ok, so I know it has been a while since my last blog.  You ever have so much going on you don't know what to write about?  Well that is me.  

Here is something that really got under my skin this week though.  

There seems to be this disparity between the sentences if you are caught with crack or cocaine powder.  This is claimed to be unfair to the black population. 

"Advocates for changing the law point to crime statistics that show crack is more of an urban and minority drug while cocaine powder is used more often by the affluent, and that harsher penalties for crack cocaine unfairly punish blacks.

"This unjust policy is based on little more than politics and urban myths, yet it's been allowed to stand for over 20 years, devastating African-American communities in the process," said Caroline Fredrickson, director of the ACLU's legislative office in Washington."    http://cbs5.com/national/crack.cocaine.drugs.2.283274.html

It takes 500 grams of cocaine powder to get the same sentence you would for getting caught with 5 grams of crack.  So the answer according to the government?  Lower the sentence.  My question is.... why not raise the other?  Let's "fairly punish" the whites... oops, I mean the affluent.  (Yes I am fully aware that there are affluent blacks, I am just going on the assumption of the article for effect.)  I am completely for that!  Increase the the sentence for having cocaine powder in your possession.

I mean, is it devastating these communities because the drug dealers and users are behind bars?  I am not sure how it is devastating to have a punishment for a crime.  

Any thoughts?