Pubdate: Thu, 07 Dec 2000
Source: Knoxville News-Sentinel (TN)
Copyright: 2000, The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co.
Contact:  PO Box 59038, Knoxville, TN 37950-9038
Website: http://www.knoxnews.com/
Forum: http://forums.knoxnews.com/cgi-bin/WebX?knoxnews
Author: Gilbert Gallegos, Scripps-McClatchy Western Service

N.M. LEGISLATOR CALLS CONFAB 'PRO-DRUGGIE'

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - An Albuquerque conference on new ideas to battle 
drug and alcohol abuse will feature treatment and law enforcement 
specialists from around the world.

Among the speakers at next week's gathering will be the chief of 
police from Zurich, Switzerland, who will talk about reducing 
drug-related street crime.

A researcher from the San Francisco Department of Public Health will 
give pointers on how communities can deal with the health effects of 
substance abuse.

And a doctor from Darlinghurst, Australia, will give the lowdown on 
methadone treatments for heroin addicts.

"This is a tremendous opportunity to expand our current thoughts 
about these issues," New Mexico Health Secretary Alex Valdez said.

But one legislator says the conference guest list is a who's who of 
advocates for drug legalization and programs that emphasize an end to 
the nation's war on drugs.

"The conference is obviously a way to promote the legalization of 
drugs," said state Rep. Ron Godbey, an Albuquerque Republican. "From 
the list of speakers they're bringing here, they're all pro-druggies.

"I'd sure hate to think the governor is using state resources to 
promote this thing," said Godbey, who has been critical of New Mexico 
Gov. Gary Johnson's outspoken support of legalizing marijuana.

The conference, called "Working Together for Better Outcomes," was 
organized by the state Departments of Health and Public Safety.

A grant to pay for the conference, which runs Dec. 11-12, was 
provided through the McCune Foundation by the Open Society Institute, 
an organization started by billionaire George Soros that advocates, 
among other things, a radical shift in the nation's approach to drug 
policies.

"When the Departments of Health and Public Safety decided to do this, 
because it is not about drug legalization, they specifically didn't 
involve the governor or his office," said Katharine Huffman, the 
director of the New Mexico Drug Policy Project, an offshoot of the 
Lindsmith Center, which is a New York group that advocates changes to 
national policies on illegal drugs.

"They wanted to be sure that it wasn't connected with that issue. 
Instead the goal was to have a really serious, meaningful discussion 
about community health and safety."

Health Secretary Valdez said there is no connection between Johnson's 
ideas to legalize marijuana and the treatment and law enforcement 
issues that are the focus of the conference.

"It is very easy to cast dispersions on any activity taking place 
around this most critical issue as being an attempt to legalize 
drugs," Valdez said. "And I would have to say that is not correct . . 
. and I feel very comfortable with the direction we are pursuing."

Huffman said the gist of the conference is to get experts on drug 
treatment together with law enforcement officials to figure out ways 
to work together to decrease drug use and the violence that goes with 
it.
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