Thursday, March 26, 2009

Drip, Drip, Drip...

Bit by bit, sanity is popping up across the country.
Albany Reaches Deal to Repeal ’70s Drug Laws

By JEREMY W. PETERS
ALBANY — Gov. David A. Paterson and New York legislative leaders have reached an agreement to dismantle much of what remains of the state’s strict 1970s-era drug laws, once among the toughest in the nation.

The deal would repeal many of the mandatory minimum prison sentences now in place for lower-level drug felons, giving judges the authority to send first-time nonviolent offenders to treatment instead of prison.

The plan would also expand drug treatment programs and widen the reach of drug courts at a cost of at least $50 million.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I hate to sound cynical, but the motive is almost purely financial. New York is broke (I live here and have the soaring tax bills to prove it) and can't afford to keep so many three strikers in prison anymore.

Still, I think it's a great initiative and hope other states follow suit. War on Drugs = Waste of Time.