EXILE REFORM IS GOOD

I'm afraid that the article on HB2181, the Exile law reform (Street Talk,
March 26) was more than a bit misleading. Rather than "weaken" the law, and
send it "teetering," the bill actually concentrates the penalties on the
original target: dangerous behavior.

"Possession" under the law does not mean "on your person"; it applies to
anything, anywhere, which is "subject to his dominion and control."

Current law sets exactly the same penalties for peaceful users as for the
most dangerous, heavily armed pusher. A judge has no discretion once a case
is brought; he must give exactly the same five-year penalty to a student
who's been caught with one dose of cocaine, and has an antique hunting
shotgun in his attic, as to the thug who's been wholesaling heroin and
crack for years while carrying an arsenal and threatening to use it. The
reform bill is a significant step toward justice.

Roy B. Scherer

Legislative Analyst

Virginians Against Drug Violence