If an individual is convicted of a federal drug crime, whether it happened after a trial or after pleading guilty, that person will be sentenced by a Federal District Judge.  The range of possible punishments can be convoluted and somewhat opaque.  Therefore, the table below is intended to make things a little more understandable.  It should be noted that the table does not include all possible sentences codified in 21 U.S.C. § 841.  For example, it does not--except for marijuana (which Congress insists on spelling "marihuana")--address minor possession punishments.  Nor does it address sentences for controlled substances grown on Federal lands.  And it does not address the enhancement available if the individual distributes a controlled substance to a minor.  Nonetheless, the table does encapsulate the most common statutory considerations.

In addition to the prison sentences available, substantial fines can be imposed.

*N-phenyl-N- [1-(2-phenylethyl)-4-piperidinyl] propanamide