ASAP Hails Three-Way Agreement on Rockefeller Drug Law Reform

ALBANY, NY (03/27/2009)(readMedia)-- The New York Association of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Providers (ASAP) today hailed news that Governor David Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, and state legislators have agreed to reform the state's notorious Rockefeller drug laws.

"This removes a big obstacle facing New Yorkers who struggle with addiction and want to be productive citizens in recovery," said John Coppola, ASAP's Executive Director. "Chemical dependency treatment costs less and works better than incarceration, and we applaud Governor Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Smith, and Assembly Speaker Silver for recognizing this and collaborating to enact truly progressive change."

"This reform finally shifts New York's approach to treating addiction from one that emphasizes criminal justice to one that focuses more appropriately on public health," said Chris Wilkins, President of Loyola Recovery Foundation in Pittsford, Monroe County, and President of ASAP's Board.

"ASAP and its member providers pledge to work with the Legislature and state agencies to ensure that we successfully implement this public-health reform. And with the necessary resources, we will be ready to provide treatment to any New Yorkers diverted as a result of this historic initiative."

Wilkins added that ASAP and its members will continue to work with Governor Paterson and state legislators to make sure there is adequate funding to provide the treatment that is essential to the success of Rockefeller drug law reform.

"We will get the full benefits of this reform only if we expand treatment services in our community to handle people diverted from the criminal justice system - and provide enough funding this year and in years to come to ensure that this reform succeeds," Wilkins said. "A commitment to this reform, and adequate funding to enact it, represents the best outcome for New Yorkers who need treatment. It's also the best way to ensure that New York's taxpayers get the long-term savings that this reform has the potential to produce."

Coppola also praised several state legislators for their efforts to enact these reforms, including Assembly members Jeff Aubrey (D-Queens) and Joseph Lentol (D-Brooklyn) and Senators Eric Schneiderman (D-Manhattan) and Ruth Hassell-Thompson (D-Bronx).

"With Speaker Silver, Assembly members Aubrey and Lentol have tirelessly championed this cause in the Assembly for more than a decade, and they should have a special sense of satisfaction today," Coppola said. "And Senators Schneiderman and Hassell-Thompson assumed new leadership roles in the new Senate Majority and partnered with Majority Leader Smith, their Assembly colleagues, Speaker Silver, and Governor Paterson to get it done."