The Rockefeller drug laws is the colloquial term used to denote the statutes dealing with the sale and possession of "narcotic" drugs in the New York State Penal Law. The laws are named after Nelson Rockefeller, who was the state's governor at the time the laws were adopted. Rockefeller, a staunch supporter of the bill containing the laws, signed it on May 8, 1973. The term narcotic, derived from the Greek word narkotikos, meaning benumbing or deadening, originally referred to a variety of substances that induced sleep (such state is narcosis). ... State nickname: Empire State Other U.S. States Capital Albany Largest city New York Governor George Pataki Official languages None Area 141,205 km² (27th)  - Land 122,409 km²  - Water 18,795 km² (13. ... Nelson Aldrich Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979), an American politician, was Governor of New York from 1959 to 1973 and the 41st Vice President of the United States of America from December 19, 1974 to January 20, 1977. ... A governor is also a device that regulates the speed of a machine. ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1973 (MCMLXXIII) was a common year starting on Monday. ...

Under the Rockefeller drug laws, the penalty for selling two ounces (approximately 56 grams) or more of heroin, morphine, "raw or prepared opium," cocaine, or cannabis, including marijuana (these latter two being included in the statute even though they are not "narcotics" from a chemical standpoint), or possessing four ounces (approximately 128 grams) or more of the same substances, was made the same as that for second-degree murder: A minimum of 15 years to life in prison, and a maximum of 25 years to life in prison. The original legislation also mandated the same penalty for committing a violent crime while under the influence of the same drugs, but this provision was subsequently omitted from the bill and was not part of the legislation Rockefeller ultimately signed. The section of the laws applying to marijuana was repealed in 1979. Heroin or diacetylmorphine (INN) is a semi-synthetic opioid. ... Morphine (INN), the principal active agent in opium, is a powerful opioid analgesic drug. ... Opium is a narcotic analgesic drug which is obtained from the unripe seed pods of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum L. or the synonym paeoniflorum). ... This article is about the drug Cocaine. ... Species Cannabis indica Cannabis ruderalis Cannabis sativa Cannabis is a genus of flowering plant that includes one or more species. ... Species Cannabis indica Cannabis ruderalis Cannabis sativa Cannabis is a genus of flowering plant that includes one or more species. ... This page refers to the year 1979. ...

The adoption of the Rockefeller drug laws gave New York State the distinction of having the toughest laws of its kind in the entire United States — an approach soon imitated by the state of Michigan, which in 1978 enacted a "650-Lifer Law" which called for life imprisonment without the possibility of parole for the sale, manufacture, or even possession of at least 650 grams (approximately 1.45 pounds) of cocaine or any Schedule I or Schedule II opiate. Official language(s) English de-facto Capital Lansing Largest city Detroit Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 11th 96,889 mi² / 250,941 km² 239 miles / 385 km 491 miles / 790 km 41. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... The Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, is the legal foundation of the United States governments fight against the abuse of drugs and other substances. ... The Controlled Substances Act (CSA), Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, is the legal foundation of the United States governments fight against the abuse of drugs and other substances. ...

Both the New York and Michigan statutes have come under harsh criticism from political liberals, who see inherent unfairness in placing the non-violent crime of drug trafficking on a par with murder. The laws have also drawn intense opposition from civil rights advocates, who claim that they are applied inordinately to African-Americans, and to a lesser extent, Hispanics. Michigan's statute was reformed somewhat in 1998, with the mandatory life sentence being reduced to a 20-year minimum, and on December 14, 2004 New York State Governor George Pataki signed legislation reducing the minimum penalty for conviction on the most serious (A-I felony) drug charge in that state from 15-life to 8 years in prison, for an offender with no prior felonies. In addition, the weight thresholds for the two most serious possession offenses (A-I and A-II) were doubled. Look up liberal on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Liberal may refer to: Politics: Liberalism American liberalism, a political trend in the USA Political progressivism, a political ideology that is for change, often associated with liberal movements Liberty, the condition of being free from control or restrictions Liberal Party, members of... Civil rights or positive rights are those legal rights retained by citizens and protected by the government. ... An African American (also Afro-American, Black American, or black), is a member of an ethnic group in the United States whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Africa. ... It has been suggested that Latino be merged into this article or section. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... December 14 is the 348th day of the year (349th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... George E. Pataki George Elmer Pataki (born June 24, 1945) is the current Governor of New York State since January 1995. ...