Pubdate: Sun, 18 Mar 2001
Source: Dallas Morning News (TX)
Copyright: 2001 The Dallas Morning News
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NM DRUG REFORM GOES TO POT

Legislature Adjourns Without Approving Governor's Proposals

For nearly two years, Gov. Gary Johnson has spread his gospel of drug 
reform, calling the war on drugs a failure and urging New Mexico to become 
a laboratory for what he termed "harm reduction" policies.

The Republican governor's crusade propelled him into the national spotlight 
- -- and into direct opposition with his own party.

But now, after two months of intense lobbying, late-night negotiations and 
heated debate, Mr. Johnson's most ambitious proposals to reform New 
Mexico's drug laws lay dead in the Capitol.

The Legislature adjourned its 60-day session Saturday without legalizing 
the medical use of marijuana and decriminalizing the possession of small 
amounts of marijuana.

Mr. Johnson, in a news conference after lawmakers broke for the year, said 
he was not "disheartened" by the outcome.

"Arguably, what happened during this session advanced a set of bills that 
have never advanced this far in any legislature in the country," he said.

"So on one hand, gosh, I wish a few more of them would have been heard or 
voted on and passed. On the other hand, as far as they went, they went a 
long way."

Mr. Johnson, who admitted using marijuana and cocaine in his youth, is an 
avid athlete who doesn't drink alcohol or use drugs. He always prefaced his 
speeches about drugs with the disclaimer "drugs are bad."

But he argues that the nation's current drug policies infringe on 
individual liberty, clog the criminal justice system with nonviolent drug 
offenders, and focus on incarceration rather than treatment.

The news wasn't all bad for Mr. Johnson. Three of his "harm reduction" 
proposals were passed and await his signature.

Those measures would allow police and others to administer a drug that can 
help prevent deaths from heroin overdoses; allow pharmacists to sell 
hypodermic needles without fear of criminal prosecution; and fund expanded 
drug treatment in New Mexico.
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