EXPANDED DRUG-FREE ZONES WINNING BROAD SUPPORT

LAWRENCE -- A proposed law backed by 25 lawmakers would create 1,000-foot drug-free zones around after-school youth programs, and give drug dealers an automatic 21/2 years in prison if they operate near programs like the YMCA.  State Reps.  Barry R.  Finegold, D-Andover, and William Lantigua, I-Lawrence, announced the bill yesterday at the Lawrence Boys and Girls Club.  Club director Markus Fischer said 500 children per day pass through their center at 130 Water St., and are taught the dangers of drug use, but the club cannot protect them when they leave.

"We have a strict no-drug policy here," he said.  "But once they leave our premises, drugs have been an issue.  This is going to be an effective way of telling drug dealers to keep away."

Finegold's bill would amend a law that gives drug dealers a mandatory 21/2 years for dealing within 1,000 feet of a school, adding after-school programs to that law.  There are a number of such programs in the city including the YMCA, Hoops for Hope, Adelante Youth Center, Hope Street, and the Boys and Girls Club.  Police Chief John Romero supported Finegold's amendment, saying that Water Street is a problem area in a city where drug crimes are the No.  1 public safety threat.  He said the existing law that gives stiffer sentences to drug dealers caught in school zones helps law enforcement by taking dealers off the street for longer stretches.

Finegold said none of the bills he's filed in the past has enjoyed this amount of support from fellow lawmakers.

"Youth centers are places that give young people hope and structure in their lives," he said.  "We as elected officials need to do everything in our power to make sure youth centers stay that way.  ...  We want to send a strong message to drug dealers: Stay away."