The focus of this article is on the U.S. Sentencing Commission's development of Section 2D1.1 of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines -- Unlawful Manufacturing, Importing, Exporting, or Trafficking. The Guideline covers most drug trafficking offenses committed after November 1, 1987. The Sentencing Commission examined past federal sentencing practices as a starting point in developing the initial sentencing guidelines. In 1986 Congress enacted the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1986 and the Commission adopted the five- and ten-year mandatory minimum sentences, and the controlled substances and quantities associated with them, as reference points for developing its drug trafficking offense guidelines. The Commission is a permanent agency that expects to modify and revise the guidelines based on continued research, experience, and analysis. These revisions will be submitted to Congress as amendments. 29 notes. (Publisher abstract modified)