Sen. Ron Latz (DFL-St. Louis Park)
Democratic Senator Ron Latz says he has agreement with law enforcement groups and his Republican House counterparts to reduce sentences for certain low-level drug offenses while increasing penalties for those who profit from drug-dealing. Latz says it’s probably the most significant reform in 30-plus years. He says, “We want to treat the criminals like the criminals that they are,… but if what they really have is a medical condition — a chemical-dependency addiction — we want to… get them into treatment.” Key Republican lawmakers weren’t immediately reachable. Changes in sentencing guidelines are an important part of Governor Mark Dayton’s push to reduce Minnesota’s prison population.