You've heard of the Rockefeller Drug Laws: the slightly insane mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines passed in New York in the 1970s that ensured a 20-year-old with an ounce of pot could get tossed in the pen with real criminals. Well, those laws which hamstrung judges for so long may finally be thrown out as early as April. Which is nice, because right about now we all need some sort of substance just to get through the day. This is really a caring move by Albany, where a proposal to repeal the remaining detritus of the Rockefeller Laws (they were amended and made less severe in 2004) will come to the floor this afternoon.
The speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver and Governor Paterson (maybe this will help lift those approval ratings) are all on board. Now all that remains is to pass some medicinal marijuana legislation. Does the economy count as an ailment?
