The state Sentencing Commission wants state lawmakers to consider a proposal to shrink the size of drug-free zones around schools, day-care centers and public housing complexes, saying that the current law discriminates against city dwellers — often minority residents — who are more likely to live in such a zone.
As it stands, the state statute provides for harsher penalties for people caught selling drugs within 1,500 feet of the schools, day-care centers or housing complexes. The laws were implemented more than two decades ago, when waves of dealers were selling crack cocaine.
