DRUG LAW SWITCH DOESN'T GO UNNOTICED

Nowadays when politicians change their minds on an issue they're often
accused of flip-flopping.

But two former state senators were honored here Monday night for switching
their positions on New York's drug laws.

Republicans H. Douglas Barclay of Pulaski and John Dunne of Long Island
were recognized at a $125-per-person dinner at La Serre, one of Albany's
top French restaurants.

ReconsiDer, a non-profit drug policy group, honored the two for supporting
rolling back or modifying the Rockefeller Drug Laws.

Barclay and Dunne both backed the laws, which require harsh penalties even
for relatively minor drug use, when Gov. Nelson Rockefeller signed them in
the early 1970s.

Now many mainstream politicians argue low-level drug users should receive
more treatment and less prison, and judges should have more discretion in
sentencing.

Gov. George Pataki and the leaders of both houses of the Legislature have
voiced support for softening the laws.

Barclay, who was unable to attend the Monday night dinner, retired from the
Senate in 1984. He's a lawyer in Syracuse and president of the Metropolitan
Development Association.