Yahoo! News - N.Y. May Reform Rockefeller Drug Laws
ALBANY, N.Y. - New York lawmakers are ready to roll back the state's infamously harsh Rockefeller drug laws if they can agree on how to reform mandatory sentences for less serious drug violations.

This week, members of a legislative conference committee verbally agreed to reduce the 15 years-to-life mandatory sentences for the most serious offenses to as little as 3 to 10 years.

Gov. George Pataki and most legislators have called it an injustice that a first-time offender could face a life sentence for possessing as little as 4 ounces of a controlled substance or for selling only 2 ounces.

New York spends more than $500 million a year to incarcerate nonviolent drug offenders, many of whom can rebuild their lives faster if they receive treatment, said Michael Blain of the Drug Policy Alliance, an organization that espouses reducing both drug misuse and drug prohibition, and promoting the sovereignty of individuals.

Twenty-seven states have rolled back mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, liberalized drug treatment options or otherwise eased drug statutes in the last year, Blain said.

I think most states are realizing that it costs too much money to keep the small time users in prison. Here's a thought- why not just legalize it and make it a buck off of it instead?