New state drug sentencing guidelines to be unveiled

State legislators and law enforcement officials will unveil drug sentencing reforms on Friday that are designed to separate drug users from dealers.

The changes expand on reforms already proposed by the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission. Those changes would take effect in August if they're not rejected by the Legislature.

Lawmakers agreed on the proposal because the commission's changes didn't fully address sentencing discrepancies, according to state Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, who was part of the group that reached the deal.

"The Sentencing Guidelines Commission made a number of statutory recommendations but they couldn't implement any of them because they don't have the authority to change statute," he said. "So they did what they could and we've taken it from there.

County prosecutors and defense attorneys will join Latz at Friday's announcement detailing the proposed changes.

The proposal calls for longer sentences for offenders with the highest quantities in their possession. But a fifth-degree offense will become a gross misdemeanor instead of felony. The reforms also aim to expand early release programs.