DRUG TREATMENT, NOT PRISON

To the Editor:

Re "Albany Reaches Deal to Repeal '70s Drug Laws" (front page, March
26):

The agreement between Gov. David A. Paterson and state legislative
leaders to dismantle the Rockefeller drug laws is long awaited.

The laws' enforcement of mandatory minimum sentencing - even for
first-time low-level offenders - squandered the opportunity to link
individuals with substance abuse issues to effective treatment.

The proposed plan's expansion of access to substance abuse treatment
for first-time nonviolent offenders will help prevent people from
entering a revolving door between substance abuse and the criminal
justice system.

We applaud the governor's focus on treatment, rather than punishment,
to end the cycle of addiction.

James R. Knickman

President and Chief Executive New York State Health Foundation

New York