Heroin bill lacking

A good editorial from the Courier-Journal:

In an apparent bid to appear tough on crime, (Sen. Chris) McDaniel would undo reforms of just four years ago through House Bill 463 to steer low-level offenders and addicts out of prison and into drug treatment. A key provision of HB 463 established that those caught with small amounts of illegal drugs are treated less harshly than those with enough drugs to be considered "traffickers."

But SB 5 reverses that important change to make anyone with any amount of heroin subject to harsher penalties reserved for traffickers.

...if (McDaniel) succeeds in getting more low-level heroin offenders in prison for longer sentences, that could begin to wipe out savings created through the passage of HB 463 in 2011.