Rockefeller signs New York drug laws imposing the nation's strictest sentences

Governor Nelson Rockefeller signed legislation imposing mandatory sentences of 15 years to life for possessing 4 ounces of narcotics or selling 2 ounces — the strictest drug laws in the nation at the time. The laws bypassed Rockefeller's own Temporary State Commission on Living Costs and the Economy, which had recommended treatment over incarceration. Twelve neighboring states adopted similar statutes within five years, and the Rockefeller model became the legislative template for federal mandatory minimums.