STIFF DRUG LAWS

Apparently, the state Legislature has seen fit not to take any action with
respect to the harmful Rockefeller drug laws that have successfully
resisted change for the past decade ["No Deals in Legislature as Session
Nears End," Newsday.com, June 19].

In the usual last-minute rush concluding the legislative session in New
York, the need for change in this situation is always overlooked. It is now
time to recognize that something must be done about it, even if a special
session of the Legislature must be called.

A situation where people are condemned to jail for 10, 15 and 20 years for
nonviolent crimes involving transportation of drugs is unbearable and
should be drastically modified. These laws removed the discretion of judges
and instead require penalties to be imposed based upon prescribed rules.
Punishments meted out often require long prison terms for offenses that
would not even be considered if there were no drugs involved.

This is a situation society cannot ignore, but it has been ignored for too
long. Judges are removed from the obligation to impose reasonable sentences
because of codified "guidelines" that are immutable and were laid down many
years ago. This is a situation that society must do something about.

Robert L. Boehm