Mandatory Minimums As part of the War on Drugs, the federal government and many states have mandatory minimums for drug offenses, including drug trafficking. Mandatory minimums are inflexible laws that require a prison term of a particular length for people convicted of certain crimes. For example, federal law dictates the minimum prison sentence permitted if a drug deal occurs near a school or if drugs are intentionally sold to a pregnant person or a person under 21 years old.