Episode 22: New York’s Rockefeller Drug Law reform ten years later

Drugs and Stuff: A Podcast from the Drug Policy Alliance

In 2009, New York reformed its notorious Rockefeller Drug Laws. Ten years later, veteran drug law reform activists Anthony Papa and Terrence Stevens join “Drugs and Stuff” to reflect on the destruction the draconian Rockefeller Drug Laws wreaked on so many New Yorkers and share their thoughts on the reforms.

Anthony Papa, manager of media relations for the Drug Policy Alliance, was handed a mandatory minimum fifteen years to life for a first-time nonviolent drug law offense. While incarcerated, Anthony became a highly renowned artist. He became the first person in New York to receive clemency and a pardon.

Terrence Stevens, a disabled drug law reform activist, is the founder and CEO of a Harlem-based nonprofit organization that assists children affected by parental incarceration and impacted by the criminal justice system. Terrence was paralyzed from the neck down with Muscular Dystrophy when he was cruelly sentenced to fifteen years to life on a first-time low-level, nonviolent drug offense. He was granted clemency in 2001 after serving 10 years.