It's ironic that Dr. Andrea Barthwell, deputy director for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, willfully misconstrues the facts regarding the medicinal use of marijuana \["More Tests Needed on Medical Marijuana Use," Viewpoints, July 28\] mere weeks after Delegates of the American Nurses Association resolved to "support the right of patients to have safe access to therapeutic marijuana." Whom do you believe? A paid spokeswoman for the drug czar's office, or the RNs who have dedicated their lives to attending the needs of the sick and dying? [continues 141 words]
ON their 10th wedding anniversary, Richard L. Stratton took his wife, Kim Wozencraft, to Sing-Sing, the prison in Ossining, N.Y. This might not sound especially romantic - no flowers or candy hearts anywhere - - but to the Strattons, it wasn't strange at all. They were there for a screening of Mr. Stratton's film "Slam," a fictional tale of a young black performance poet who is imprisoned on a minor drug charge, which Mr. Stratton wrote and co-produced in 1998. The couple first met at a reading for the PEN American Prison Writing Contest in 1991, and later founded Prison Life, a magazine about prison culture that was wildly successful in the mid-1990's but has since stopped publishing. [continues 1329 words]
As a physician with more than 20 years of experience dealing with patients who are addicted to drugs, I am often asked my professional opinion about a contentious public health question: What is the medical basis for smoking marijuana? The answer needs some context. Americans today have the world's safest, most effective system of medical practice, built on a process of scientific research, testing and oversight that is unequaled. Before the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act in 1907, Americans were exposed to a host of patent medicine "cure-alls," everything from vegetable "folk remedies" to dangerous mixtures with morphine. [continues 580 words]
A top official in the Drug Enforcement Administration's New York office is under investigation over allegations that he stole $150,000 from the agency, The Post has learned. Kevin Tamez, 49, the No. 3 DEA man in the city, is a former internal-affairs investigator who allegedly used his rank and knowledge of the system to pull his scam, sources said. He was suspended in March. Internal investigators and the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan have spent months trying to unravel Tamez's trail. [continues 353 words]
Oswego County Sheriff's Department provides DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) to local youths. Deputies teach the program at every school district throughout Oswego County. "When we inform kids of the consequences and repercussions of drugs and violence, we're working for a better community," said Sheriff Reuel A. Todd. "Children are impressionable and we set the stage for their future behavior. DARE demonstrates how drug use affects their learning ability and deters their progress. Our deputies believe in the program. They're tremendous instructors that relate to the kids." [continues 407 words]
LYONS -- Richard Chaltain is the first proof that the Wayne County Drug Treatment Court works. Nearly two years removed from a DWI arrest in the village of Newark, Chaltain is alcohol-free and looking forward to the next stage of his life. Chaltain, of Geneva, is the first graduate of the county's drug court, founded in January 2002. During a ceremony at the Wayne County Hall of Justice yesterday, he thanked all the people who helped him to achieve this moment. [continues 722 words]
More often than not, this page finds itself on the opposite side of social issues with Assemblyman Tom Kirwan of Newburgh. Occasionally, though, we find that, in his no-frills manner of speaking, he sizes up a situation perfectly. On the matter of reforming the state's Rockefeller drug laws, we find ourselves in both positions simultaneously. Kirwan thinks Gov. Pataki is going too far in trying to reform the antiquated drug laws, which carry stiff mandatory sentences for sale of drugs. He thinks the problem is being overstated. [continues 225 words]
The so-called Rockefeller-era drug laws, which require long prison sentences for possession and sale of small amounts of narcotics in New York state, have done little good. The laws fail to provide drug users with proper rehabilitation, which is what they need, and the laws clog the court and prison systems with defendants. Reformation of the drug laws is long overdue. Last week, Gov. George Pataki proposed a reasonable overhaul of the Rockefeller drug laws. Hopefully, the Republicans and Democrats can set aside political bickering and reach an agreement on the changes. [continues 232 words]
ALBANY, N.Y.- The head of the state conservative party says there was a distorted sense of perspective at the state Capital when the new smoking ban was adopted. Michael Long asked how legislators and Gov. George Pataki could agree to impose fines of up to $2,000 for smoking tobacco, a legal substance, in public while people caught smoking marijuana in public generally face fines of $100. "The New York State Legislatures Clean Indoor Clean Air Act of 2003 has managed to make the fine for smoking a legal substance 20 times harsher than an illegal substance," Long said. "Something is just not right with that logic." [continues 166 words]
Gov. George Pataki's latest proposal to reform the overly punitive Rockefeller-era drug laws is not the grand step backward that Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver portrays it to be. But it is grandstanding. Current laws give judges little discretion in sentencing first-time or nonviolent offenders to short stays in prison or to drug-treatment programs over prosecutors' objections. The result is that many low-level drug users and sellers, most of them African-American or Hispanic, sit behind bars for years. About 19,000 drug offenders now pack the state prison system. [continues 168 words]
Gov. George Pataki the other day came up with a new plan to water down the state's Rockefeller-era drug laws. But, rather than notify Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno of the details, the governor chose to brief rap mogul Russell Simmons and controversial civil-rights activist Al Sharpton, instead. Both Simmons and Sharpton have been active in the movement to reform the strict drug-sentencing laws. And, as influential black leaders, both men are in a position to help Pataki not only politically, but in the fund-raising department, too. [continues 679 words]
Dealer-On-Dealer Crimes Targeted With Interstate Commerce Laws The three Rochester men are no strangers to allegations of violence. Almost a decade ago, Damien Lott and Terrance " T-Rock" Stinson were accused of being involved in the kidnapping of a drug dealer who was bound, gagged and shot in the face and shoulder. The dealer survived but refused to testify. In 2001, the third man, Anthony " Supreme" Murphy, was accused of shooting a drug dealer in the arm over a dispute. [continues 1522 words]
Man Stays Sober For 1 Year City of Poughkeepsie Judge Ronald McGaw doesn't serve cake in his courtroom very often. But the judge figured Richard Watson deserved a party. On Tuesday afternoon, he became the first person to graduate from Poughkeepsie Drug Treatment Court since the program began more than a year ago. ''You're a different person from the one I first saw here 14 months ago,'' McGaw told Watson during the celebration in the courtroom at city hall. ''We're all proud of you, and you should be proud of yourself.'' [continues 386 words]
It didn't take an independent consultant very long to discover Plattsburgh has a drug problem that needs to be routed. Doyle G. Hyett of Hyett Palma consultants was speaking of a study his firm had just completed on the future of downtown Plattsburgh. Hyett Palma has done similar studies for cities all over the United States, including Syracuse; Coeur d'Alene, Idaho; and Shawnee Mission, Kans. Hyett said that the first order of business for Plattsburgh is to rout its drug traffic. Besides conducting interviews with all kinds of people at all times of the day and night downtown, he deduced the presence of a serious drug trade from the fact that he noted three head shops doing business there. [continues 336 words]
When I read Oneida County DA Michael Arcuri's column (June 25) on why he opposes reforming the Rockefeller drug laws I was aghast. Incredibly, it is Mr. Arcuri's opinion that if certain portions of this law, the harshest in the nation, were eased chaos would result. What Mr. Arcuri fails to mention is that 94.6 percent of the 18,000 people who are in jail for violating these laws are black or Hispanic. I don't know about you, but I don't think this is "justice for all." These horrific laws have been a disaster for this state, almost on par with 9/11. If things ever are to change, we need to demand these prosecutors either come up with ideas for innovative, positive, effective change or do us all a favor and get out of office. Robert Nicolette Cassville [end]
To the Editor: Who needs foreign terrorists when we have our own right here? Americans terrorize Americans every day. Declaring war on our own country has been part of our history. The Civil War was based on the same thing that drives all wars - economics - but disguised by a worthy cause - abolition of slavery. African Americans weren't afforded rights directly after they were released from the shackles of slavery. The war on drugs is another of many wastes of taxpayers' money. Gang warfare ravages city streets. The war on crime is one we're sure to win. [continues 52 words]
The nation has plenty of strange state legislatures, but lately New York's seems to be edging near the head of the pack. How many, for instance, have called on a hip-hop mogul to negotiate one of the most important reforms in their state's history? In Albany, where the three top leaders always meet in private to decide the fate of all major legislation, this year -- for the first time anybody could remember -- there was a fourth. Besides Gov. George Pataki, Joseph Bruno, the Senate majority leader, and Sheldon Silver, the Assembly speaker, Russell Simmons of Def Jam records spent seven long hours with the big trio in the sanctum santorum. There they negotiated ways to change the cruel and unusual drug sentencing laws inflicted on New York 30 years ago by Gov. Nelson Rockefeller. [continues 435 words]
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gov. George Pataki and the state Legislature risk squandering a "crucial opportunity" because they are unable to make real compromises over the Rockefeller drug laws, the state Bar Association's president said Tuesday. A. Thomas Levin of Mineola said the high-level talks over easing the harshest of the mandatory drug-sentencing laws have devolved into a "disappointing duel of dead-on-arrival proposals" by Pataki and state Assembly Democrats. "Rather than move forward in a way likely to forge agreement on this issue, the governor and the Assembly are each advocating positions they know will never be approved by the other side," Levin said. [continues 321 words]
Earlier this year, the New York State Association of County Health Officials - - as cautious a bunch as you will find in the medical community - urged New York lawmakers to pass legislation to legalize the medical use of marijuana. Unfortunately, the legislative clock ran out on the measure this year, despite three overwhelmingly positive committee votes. That must not happen again next year. It is past time to remove patients fighting cancer, AIDS and other scourges from the battlefield of the war on drugs. [continues 543 words]
Earlier this year, the New York State Association of County Health Officials - - as cautious a bunch as you will find in the medical community - urged New York lawmakers to pass legislation to legalize the medical use of marijuana. Unfortunately, the legislative clock ran out on the measure, despite three overwhelmingly positive committee votes. That must not happen again. It is past time to remove patients fighting cancer, AIDS and other scourges from the battlefield of the war on drugs. "The legalization of medical marijuana would be a step forward for the health of all New Yorkers," the association declared. "Marijuana has proven to be effective in the treatment of people with HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis, cancer and those suffering from severe pain or nausea." [continues 361 words]
ALBANY, July 18 - For days, Russell Simmons had been telling everyone he could that he had struck a deal to revamp New York's mandatory jail sentences under the state's Rockefeller-era drug laws. He mentioned it on NY 1. He told it to foreign journalists. He briefed the Rev. Al Sharpton and anyone else who would listen. "That's what I do," Mr. Simmons, the mogul, said last Tuesday, with the confidence that had made him both successful and rich in the world of hip-hop. "I'm a deal maker." [continues 1664 words]
Call it a case of criminal laws versus health laws. Last November, a judge ruled that New York City police officers could not arrest drug addicts carrying needles with drug residue if the addicts were participating in a state-authorized needle exchange program. The ruling stemmed from a 2000 suit in federal court in Manhattan, which charged that New York City programs were being impeded by police who often arrested participants for possessing syringes with drug residue even though the suspects showed official cards identifying them as participants, and despite a departmental policy against such arrests. [continues 231 words]
Not Good Enough, Say Critics Hip Hop empresario Russell Simmons is getting a rapid education in the politics of drug reform in New York, but perhaps not rapid enough. Simmons, whose Hip Hop Action Summit network has sought to mobilize the energy of the hip hop nation for positive political change, played a key role in creating mass protests against New York's draconian Rockefeller drug laws in June and managed to insert himself into negotiations over competing versions of Rockefeller law reform in the days that followed. Those negotiations faltered, however, and this week Simmons announced that he had signed on to a new reform proposal from Gov. George Pataki (R). Problem is, in so doing, Simmons has managed to alienate the constituencies that have worked for years to obtain meaningful reform or outright repeal of those laws -- not merely window-dressing. [continues 1049 words]
ALBANY -- Officials in Gov. George E. Pataki's administration started circulating a proposal tonight that they said they hoped would lead to a new state drug-sentencing law within months. Lawmakers in the Senate and Assembly said they had not seen the details and withheld specific comment. The proposal was sent late on a day when the Legislature is out of session and is not expected to return until the fall at the earliest. The bill was the first concrete step after weeks of talks over efforts to change the Rockefeller-era laws governing sentencing of drug offenders. The hopes to revise the laws have risen and fallen over the past two and a half years, capped last month with an unusual meeting during the legislative session's waning moments when the rap impresario Russell Simmons met for more than seven hours with the governor and two top legislative leaders. [continues 368 words]
Albany-- Silver Says Reform Plan Doesn't Reflect Compromise That Leaders Reached Last Month Gov. George Pataki released a new plan to modify the Rockefeller Drug Laws Tuesday that was instantly panned by Assembly Democrats and many reform advocates, significantly reducing its chances of approval by the state Legislature. Pataki aides said the plan, which would cut prison sentences for many drug offenders but increase penalties for those who use children or the Internet to ply their wares, reflected a conceptual compromise reached last month in marathon closed-door negotiations with legislative leaders and hip-hop music mogul Russell Simmons. [continues 357 words]
A drug crime anywhere is a drug problem everywhere, and that's why Binghamton and Broome County may merge their special investigations units. It wouldn't be a big leap. Binghamton Detective Lt. David Eggleston and Broome County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Michael Fedish had ridden together before. They'd arrested drug dealers, investigated crimes. The only difference between them seemed to be the logo on their badges. So why not widen the practice? They won the support of Sheriff David Harder and Police Chief John Butler, and sometime in the next month or so -- if the details can be worked out -- the two agencies' special investigations units will merge. [continues 359 words]
ALBANY -- Gov. Pataki on Tuesday released his latest proposal to overhaul the Rockefeller-era drug laws that require long prison sentences for possession and sale of even small amounts of narcotics. The proposal was immediately rejected by the Legislature's top Democrat, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who said it was "slipped under the door .. after-hours last night." Pataki said if his proposal becomes law, hundreds of nonviolent offenders would be released from prison and thousands of others would have their sentences reduced. [continues 617 words]
New York, it can only be hoped, moved a step closer yesterday to overhauling its antiquated Rockefeller-era drug laws, with Gov. George Pataki unveiling a new proposal aimed at reducing sentences for possession and sale of small amounts of narcotics, while at the same time toughening sanctions against so-called drug kingpins. When lawmakers return to work, likely in special session this fall, they should finally turn these long-overdue measures into law. Pataki, a Republican who long resisted reforms of the 1970s-era sentencing laws and pressed for even stiffer sentences and the abolishment of parole for some offenders, is well-suited politically to usher this pending reform package toward reality, much as only a hawkish President Nixon could go to China. The changes are hardly "soft" on crime, as they still mete out punishment in generous doses. New York's prisons wouldn't be any less hellish or unforgiving. [continues 345 words]
At long last, the three middle-aged men who control New York state politics have apparently decided to do something about the onerous Rockefeller drug laws that have unjustly incarcerated so many young people. Two questions, however, remain: What took so long? Are the proposed changes going to make any real difference? On Tuesday, Gov. George Pataki released a proposal that would appear to have the blessings of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and Senate President Joseph Bruno to overhaul the Rockefeller laws, which often require long prison sentences for minor drug offenses. [continues 412 words]
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Gov. George Pataki on Tuesday released his latest proposal to overhaul the Rockefeller-era drug laws that require long prison sentences for possession and sale of even small amounts of narcotics. Pataki said if his proposal becomes law, hundreds of nonviolent offenders would be released from prison and thousands of others would have their sentences reduced. Pataki's proposal would "overhaul the drug law sentencing structure, provide retroactive relief for nonviolent offenders in prison, and toughen penalties for violent and predatory drug dealers," according to a statement Pataki released about his proposal. "The bill would completely replace the drug law sentencing structure, providing dramatic reductions in sentencing for all nonviolent drug offenses and allow for retroactive relief for hundreds of nonviolent drug felons." [continues 256 words]
Gov. George Pataki's proposal Tuesday to reform the Rockefeller drug laws may have won the approval of hip hop mogul Russell Simmons, but law enforcement -- and even some activists -- aren't happy with the proposed outcome. Robert Gangi, executive director of prison watchdog group Correctional Association of New York, said the governor's proposal "does not include any provision for returning sentencing discretion to judges in drug cases," a major sticking point in the debate over the drug laws. "The thrust of this reform should lead to fewer low-level offenders going to prison," he said. "We're not sure that's going to be the result of the governor's proposal." [continues 344 words]
Pataki's Latest Plan to Soften Rockefeller Laws Called Too Harsh ALBANY - Gov. George Pataki's newest proposal to soften the state's drug laws appeared unlikely to go anywhere as Democrats and activists bashed it Tuesday as overly harsh. Pataki said his new bill reflected compromises Democrats and Republicans reached last month in a marathon seven-hour meeting at the end of the legislative session. But Democrats and groups pushing for drug-law reform said the bill backpedaled from some of those agreements and included new penalties they did not favor. [continues 411 words]
ALBANY, July 16 -- The New York Civil Liberties Union is questioning the state lobbying commission's decision to investigate Russell Simmons, Andrew M. Cuomo and others who have been pushing to soften the state's Rockefeller-era drug laws. In a letter sent today to the Temporary State Commission on Lobbying, the civil liberties group said the commission had been overly aggressive in its inquiry into the activists' public rallies and broadcasts. It called them core First Amendment activities that were not subject to lobbying regulation. [continues 772 words]
ALBANY - Gov. Pataki's reform fix for New York's ultratough drug laws won over rap mogul Russell Simmons, but Democrat lawmakers and some drug treatment advocates weren't too high on it. Pataki's revamped plan to remake the so-called Rockefeller drug laws would dramatically cut prison time for all nonviolent drug felons, making about 10,000 inmates eligible for sentence reductions. At the same time, Pataki called for beefing up penalties for predators who use children to sell drugs or serve as kingpins in narcotics gangs. [continues 253 words]
Critics Say Bill Is Too Punitive ALBANY -- Gov. George Pataki's newest proposal to soften the state's drug laws appeared unlikely to go anywhere as Democrats and activists bashed it Tuesday as overly harsh. Pataki said his new bill reflected compromises Democrats and Republicans reached last month in a marathon seven-hour meeting at the end of the legislative session. But Democrats and groups pushing for drug-law reform said it backpedaled from some of those agreements and included new penalties they never favored. [continues 268 words]
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) - Gov. George Pataki on Tuesday released his latest proposal to overhaul the Rockefeller-era drug laws that require long prison sentences for possession and sale of even small amounts of narcotics. The proposal was immediately rejected by the Legislature's top Democrat, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who said it was "slipped under the door .. after-hours last night." Pataki said if his proposal becomes law, hundreds of nonviolent offenders would be released from prison and thousands of others would have their sentences reduced. [continues 618 words]
ALBANY - Gov. George E. Pataki on Tuesday released his latest proposal to overhaul the Rockefeller-era drug laws that require long prison sentences for possession and sale of even small amounts of narcotics. The proposal was immediately rejected by the Legislature's top Democrat, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, who said it was "slipped under the door . . . after-hours last night." Pataki said if his proposal becomes law, hundreds of nonviolent offenders would be released from prison and thousands of others would have their sentences reduced. [continues 347 words]
ALBANY, July 15 -- Gov. George E. Pataki today released the details of his latest plan to soften New York's mandatory sentences for drug crimes, putting forward a bill he urged the State Legislature to pass. "I think it's a very sound compromise, and I think it represents, really, a historic opportunity to reform these laws," Mr. Pataki said. But any chance of consensus seemed to evaporate quickly, as the speaker of the State Assembly, Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, laced into Mr. Pataki's proposal, saying it fell far short of reforming the Rockefeller-era drug laws, which all sides in Albany agree are too harsh. [continues 648 words]
In 1998 the Drug Enforcement Administration sent its Mobile Enforcement Team into Benton Harbor, Mich., while state troopers patrolled the crime-ridden streets. With 42 arrests, the DEA struck a major blow at the drug ring responsible for some 90 percent of violent crime in the city. In congressional testimony the following year, the DEA boasted: "After the intervention of law enforcement officers. . . . Benton Harbor was being brought back to life. . . . They brought a sense of stability to the area." This was wishful thinking. Not only has there been no lasting effect on the drug trade, resentment of outside law enforcement in Benton Harbor recently has exploded into riots. Residents of the crime-ridden and depressed city see police as an occupying force. [continues 609 words]
A recent letter writer was correct when he wrote about politics and how it affects the lives of people. However, it is not the inmate we should be concerned about. A quick check of the New York State Department of Correctional Services Web site confirms that the author's brother was convicted of an A1 and B felony for drug possession. This means that he was selling drugs. How many lives were affected through his nefarious crimes? How many innocent brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers and children were victims of his crimes? [continues 223 words]
Your article "Battle Over Drug Laws" [News, July 1], about Russell Simmons and the resiliency of the Rockefeller drug laws, mentioned that upstate politicians benefit from large prison populations because they think more prisons mean more jobs. But that's only half the story. On census day, prisoners are counted as living in upstate districts and not counted as part of their home communities. Come Election Day, the prisoners can't vote, so residents in prison-hosting communities upstate essentially vote on the prisoners' behalf, even though they don't have many common interests. So, maybe there are other reasons that some state senators are afraid to stop over-incarcerating New Yorkers - their electoral strength depends on it. And the fact that prisoners and ex-offenders are pawns in this political power game is the true tragedy. Ludovic Blain Manhattan Editor's Note: The writer is associate director of the Democracy Program at Demos, a research and advocacy organization. [end]
Drug Arrests At Record High In 2002 ENDICOTT -- The violent nature of some crimes committed in 2002 concerns Endicott Police Chief Gary F. O'Neil. Robberies, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts all increased last year, he said. Statistics showed the 13 robberies were up by four, the 78 burglaries were up by two, and the 18 motor vehicle thefts increased by six. There also were four forcible rapes, down one; nine cases of aggravated assault, down four; and 416 larcenies, down 38. [continues 322 words]
"Mental health parity" is insurance coverage for mental health and substance abuse on apar with coverage for other diseases. Parity legislation is pending in the New York state Senate. The same bill passed the New York State Assembly by an overwhelming vote of 139 to 11. Thirty five of the 50 states have passed mental health parity laws. I am puzzled to read of opposition to this legislation on the part of the New York State Conference of Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans. It is easier to understand the position of the business community: They have been led to believe such insurance will break the bank. [continues 572 words]
"I just use marijuana." This is often stated with the conviction that marijuana is a relatively harmless drug. Many are in favor of decriminalizing marijuana. After working as a clinician in the addiction field for almost four years, I have seen a "criminal" side to marijuana use. Some people argue that marijuana doesn't cause the harm to as many organs of the body as does alcohol, or that it does not cause sudden death or sudden addiction as does cocaine or crack. But it seems a crime to see the potential and the goals of so many people unfulfilled due to the effects of marijuana. For many people, this "harmless" drug has the side effect of quietly, gradually, and cunningly stripping people of their desire to get things done. Professionals use the term "Amotivational Syndrome." [continues 459 words]
State lawmakers seem willing to let another year go by without righting the wrongs of New York's drug policies, and that is indefensible. They know thousands of nonviolent convicts shouldn't be locked up for decades, sometimes life, for possessing drugs. They know many of these inmates should be in drug treatment programs, an alternative that has the added benefit of saving taxpayers money. They know the stories of people like Lance Marrow, who was given 15 years to life after being convicted of criminal possession of a controlled substance in the first degree. That occurred after a guest brought drugs into Marrow's house and stored them there. [continues 333 words]
Proving that drug law reformers are not suffering from amotivational syndrome, 10 members of the Students for Sensible Drug Policy skated all or most of the 49 miles from Binghamton to Ithaca, NY (06/22/03) in the second annual Skate for Justice event, calling for an end to the War on Drugs. Braving sporadic rain, steep hills and lots of traffic while reaching speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, the skaters carried signs decrying the war, wore t-shirts emblazoned with "Skate For Justice", and handed out "StopTheDrugWar" stickers along the route. "I think that actions like these are effective not only for public view, but for the ambition of the activists involved," said event organizer Justin Holmes, member of the SSDP at Broome Community College in Binghamton. "We had lots of waves and beeps and thumbs-up. Many people knew what was going on, and the reaction was extremely positive." [continues 173 words]
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. [continues 125 words]
Port Jervis is next on the list for a drug treatment court, joining Orange County and the City of Newburgh. And Middletown isn't far behind. The drug courts, which are increasing in number across the state, offer alternative treatment for nonviolent drug offenders. Orange County's drug court, which began in January, handles felony drug cases. Newburgh's court, which kicked off last month, and Port Jervis' court, which is still being developed, will handle misdemeanor offenders within their city limits. [continues 379 words]
To the Editor: Six years ago, Syracuse city and local law enforcement officials were still denying the existence of gangs in Syracuse, though their graffiti "tags" were visible all over certain neighborhoods. Any connection between street violence and the illegal drug trade was also denied. At the same time you said, in response to a plan to build more prisons, "Prison cells are not the answer." Now, more than six years later, the administration has finally accepted the reality of gangs and the connection between violence and drugs. [continues 217 words]
Seven city jail workers, including a drug counselor and two correction officers, have been charged with accepting bribes to smuggle drugs to inmates, city officials said yesterday. The employees, most of whom worked on Rikers Island, accepted anywhere from $50 to $1,600 from undercover agents who posed as relatives and girlfriends of inmates, according to the city's Department of Investigation. In exchange for the money, the employees took what they thought to be cocaine, heroin and marijuana and gave it to inmates, said Rose Gill Hearn, the department's commissioner. She said that the seven employees had acted alone and were not drug trafficking as a group. [continues 266 words]
Inside New York
