Rockefeller Laws

The Rockefeller Drug Laws were laws passed in 1973 that criminalized and attempted to reduce the sale, distribution, and possession of narcotic drugs in the state of New York. The bill was named after and enacted by the governor of New York at the time, Nelson Rockefeller, who was a strong supporter of the bill and a staunch advocate for Richard Nixon's “War on Drugs.”

Prior to the Rockefeller Drug Laws, individuals convicted of minor drug offenses were typically sentenced to a drug treatment facility, while more harsh sentences were reserved for those convicted of more serious drug cases, like those involving violent crime. With the passage of the Rockefeller Drug Laws, all individuals convicted of distributing two ounces of narcotics and/or being in the possession of four ounces of narcotics (i.e., cannabis, cocaine, heroin, morphine, or opium), regardless of their past criminal histories, were required to serve a minimum of 15 years to life in prison or a maximum of 25 years to life in prison. The main goals of criminalizing drug offenses were to deter habitual drug users and to prevent more serious drug offenders from committing future crimes. These laws were considered to be the strongest enforcer of Nixon's War on Drugs and the most vigorous [Page 697]attempt to control the possession and distribution of narcotics in the country.