DON'T BE QUICK TO SCRAP DRUG LAWS, LOCAL OBSERVERS SAY

Gov. George Pataki's proposal Tuesday to reform the Rockefeller drug laws
may have won the approval of hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, but law
enforcement -- and even some activists -- aren't happy with the proposed
outcome.

Robert Gangi, executive director of prison watchdog group Correctional
Association of New York, said the governor's proposal "does not include any
provision for returning sentencing discretion to judges in drug cases," a
major sticking point in the debate over the drug laws.

"The thrust of this reform should lead to fewer low-level offenders going
to prison," he said. "We're not sure that's going to be the result of the
governor's proposal."

While there are "portions (of the drug laws) that are archaic or are
unjust" -- like cocaine dealers who could potentially get the same prison
sentences as murderers -- Ulster County District Attorney Don Williams
warned against doing away with most facets of the drug laws.

He invited opponents of tough drug laws "to walk with me some evening in
some of the parts of this great county and tell me that it has not impacted
the quality of life."

Gangi suggested Simmons -- the founder of Def Jam records and owner of a
clothing label -- may have agreed to endorse the proposal because of a
compromise, but said that deal could do more harm than good.

"My guess is that he's entering this in the spirit of any deal is better
than no deal," he said. "We're concerned that Simmons has blessed it,
because that might give it credibility in the community that it doesn't serve."

Impact called minimal

The City of Poughkeepsie police officer who leads the department's
Neighborhood Recovery Unit said the effect of the laws is overstated and
few violators are actually affected by it.

"The upper-end drug dealers ... may feel the full weight of the Rockefeller
drug laws," said Sgt. Brett Orlich, but he noted that mid- and low-level
drug offenders may not be subject to the same penalties.

He said programs such as electronic monitoring, probation and
rehabilitation programs, often are afforded to first-or second-time offenders.

Williams agreed.

Drug offenders go to rehabilitation often "under the threat that if they do
not, they will go to prison," he said. "If you remove that threat, the
program simply will not be as successful."

Orlich said reforms that go too far could have a ripple effect on local life.

"Many crimes here in Poughkeepsie, from homicides, robberies, burglaries,
down to basic vehicle larcenies, are directly related to the drug problem,"
he said. "Lightening up sentencing for these drug violators could have
substantial negative results or impact for a city like Poughkeepsie."