“William M. Fine, a former magazine publisher and retailer whose research for Gov. Nelson A. Rockefeller helped shape New York State’s stringent narcotics laws, died on Friday in Beverly Hills, Calif. His biggest impact on history resulted from a dinner party conversation with Rockefeller in early 1972, according to a former Rockefeller aide. On May 8, 1973, Rockefeller signed legislation mandating minimum prison sentences of 15 years for selling two ounces or possessing four ounces of heroin, cocaine or marijuana. The legislation was the toughest in the country, and increased the state’s prison population 500 percent over the next 20 years.”
