FAIR COMPROMISE ON DRUG BILL

Gov. M. Jodi Rell gets credit for engineering a compromise that equalizes
the criminal penalties for possession of crack cocaine and possession of
powdered cocaine.

Currently a person arrested with a half-gram of crack, a refined form of
cocaine, faces the same mandatory minimum sentence of five to 20 years in
jail as someone who possesses an ounce - 28 grams - of powdered cocaine.

Medical researchers have determined that both versions of the drug affect
the body in the same general ways. Crack, a smokable form of the drug, is
more commonly found in urban areas, where lower-income people tend to favor it.

Acknowledging that the law unfairly penalizes a disproportionate number of
Latinos and African Americans, Ms. Rell nevertheless vetoed a measure that
would have set at one ounce the amount of either form of cocaine needed to
trigger the same penalties.

But, after issuing her veto, she challenged the General Assembly to pass a
previously rejected proposal that would set the threshold for possession at
a half-ounce. Moreover, her staff worked diligently behind the scenes to
make certain that the bill didn't fall through the legislative cracks
during the closing days of the session.

Few defendants are convicted under the current crack statute. But
prosecutors take advantage of its tough penalties to intimidate scores of
street addicts - people who really should be in treatment centers and
mental hospitals - to plead guilty to reduced charges that carry mandatory
minimum jail time.

The measure, which Ms. Rell should sign, would have the practical effect of
sending more street addicts into treatment. It would also remove
Connecticut from the list of states that punish crack users more harshly
than powdered cocaine users.