WITH PRISONS JAMMED, GOVERNOR SEEKS REFORM OF STATE DRUG LAWS

ALBANY, NEW YORK - Gov. George Pataki used his seventh annual State of
the State address Wednesday to urge legislation to dramatically reform
the state's tough drug laws.

The laws, enacted in the 1970s administration of the late Gov. Nelson
Rockefeller, are among the harshest in the nation and can require life
terms for possession of even relatively small amounts of narcotics.

"However well-intentioned, key aspects of those laws are out of step
with both the times and the complexities of drug addiction," the
Republican governor said.

Nonetheless, Pataki offered no details of what his proposal would
include. He said it would be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Pataki's pledge came even as advocates for an overhaul of the drug
laws planned to demonstrate outside the state Capitol. There now are
more than 21,000 inmates in New York's state prisons serving time for
drug-related convictions.

Until 1999, Pataki had been tight-lipped about his feelings concerning
the Rockefeller-era laws, which have been criticized by many,
including White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey.

That year, Pataki proposed some minor changes that would have affected
an estimated 250 inmates. His proposal died in the Legislature; one
Democratic leader said it was "not real reform."

The drug laws have contributed significantly to the surge in prison
population in New York. In 1973, there were 14,700 inmates in 18 state
prisons; in 1999, there were more than 70,000 in 70 prisons. The
overwhelming majority jailed on drug crimes are black or Hispanic.