On Friday, Connecticut state legislators killed a proposal to shrink the size of its drug-free zones from 1500 to 200 feet. The bill was defeated 17 to 11 in a vote by the Education Committee.

A sign in front of Basic High School in Bridgeport, Connecticut declares the area a drug-free zone.

CREDIT: CHRISTIE THOMPSON

Connecticut has one of themost expansive drug-free zone laws in the country, meaning that many of its cities are almost entirely covered by “sentence enhancement zones.” The laws mean an extra charge or longer sentence for any drug crime committed within a certain radius of a school, in effort to deter drug dealers from selling to students. But researchers have found the zones instead create an added “urban penalty” for any level drug offender who happens to live in a city.

more @ http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/04/28/3431445/connecticut-votes-to-keep-entire-cities-within-drug-free-zones/