How a basketball player’s drug overdose led to mandatory minimum laws

In 1986 the Boston Celtics drafted Len Bias as their No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. But before the celebrations ended, Bias was dead from a cocaine overdose. In the wake of his death, Democrats rushed to create harsher drug laws, hoping to appear tough on crime and win in midterm elections. The Democrats made major gains in Congress that year, but almost three decades later, it has become clear that major elements in the hastily written laws — namely, mandatory minimums — backfired. In this excerpt from America Tonight, Joie Chen looks at the life and legacy of Bias and traces the history of one of today’s most controversial policies.