CRACKDOWN ON POT TRAFFIC

ALBANY - Gov. Pataki proposed new rules yesterday that would lead to
lengthy prison terms for some marijuana traffickers as part of his plan to
undo the tough Rockefeller-era drug laws.

The proposal would increase the penalties for dealers who possess more than
20 pounds of pot or sell more than 2 pounds.

First-time offenders would face sentences of between 14 months and 12
years. Repeat offenders could be locked up for as many as 16 years.

The existing drug laws, enacted in 1973, have been widely criticized as too
severe.

Pataki's proposal for reforming the laws - his second try - would cut
penalties for nonviolent drug crimes, let hundreds of convicts apply for
sentencing reductions and give judges more power to refer offenders to
treatment programs.

He also wants to set harsher penalties for drug kingpins and make selling
drugs in a public park as serious a crime as selling them on school grounds.

The Republican governor's proposal has been attacked by some prosecutors,
who argue that having drug offenders serve tough sentences has contributed
to a drop in crime.

Also nestled in Pataki's bill is the chance for block associations and
tenants' groups to file free civil actions aimed at getting dealers out of
abandoned buildings in their neighborhoods.