Republican (fascist/socialist) governor Nelson Rockefeller, of new york, signs the “Rockefeller Drug Laws,” significantly raising the criminal penalties for trafficking in controlled substances.  A first time offense for sale of four ounces of any illegal drug carries a mandatory minimum of 15 years to life—the same penalty for second-degree murder.  This is the first mandatory minimum statute in the nation.

       Postscript: This statute marks the beginning of ever-increasing stricter statutes against the peaceful, recreational use of certain mind altering substances.  Three decades later the United States—the “freest nation in the world”—had the ignoble distinction of having the highest incarceration rate of any nation on Earth.

       [added 11/7/2022]

       The American Indian Movement occupation of Wounded Knee, south dakota collapses as the remaining occupants surrender to the United states Marshal’s Service.  Federal agents arrest Dennis Banks and Russell Means.

       [restored 11/7/2022]