Pubdate: Tue, 5 Oct 1999
Source: Register Citizen (CT)
Copyright: 1999 Journal Register Company
Contact:  http://www.ctcentral.com/
Author: Matt Kelley, Associated Press Writer

NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR BRINGS PRO-NARCOTICS MESSAGE TO WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON - Not only has the war on drugs been a multibillion-dollar
failure, but it has unjustifiably thrown thousands of people in prison
while lying about the dangers of marijuana, New Mexico's governor said
Monday.

Gov. Gary Johnson, a Republican, kicked off a visit to the nation's
capital by meeting with leaders of a college student group that shares
his goal of drug legalization. Johnson is the country's
highest-ranking elected official to advocate legalizing such drugs as
cocaine, heroin and marijuana.

After swimming two miles and jogging five miles for his morning
workout, then bounding up four flights of stairs to avoid a sluggish
elevator at George Washington University, Johnson told the students
that drugs are a bad choice, but people should be allowed to decide
for themselves whether to make it.

"I hate to say it, but the majority of people who use drugs use them
responsibly," Johnson told members of Students for a Sensible Drug
Policy. "They choose when to do it. They do them at home. It's not a
financial burden."

White House drug policy director Barry McCaffrey and other officials
excoriated Johnson last week after he became the first governor to
support drug legalization.

"His pro-drug message runs in the face of all the hard work of
millions of parents, teachers, health professionals, community
leaders, coaches and clergy who are working so hard to stem drug use,"
McCaffrey said Friday.

Johnson found a friendlier audience in the students.

"Students are experts on drug use," said Kris Lotlikar, a leader of
the group. "We're the children that this war was supposed to protect.
But I have yet to talk to any student who came from a drug-free high
school. To me, that's a failed policy."

The students said they did not want to be labeled drug users just
because they support legalization.

"We aren't a group of dope-smoking hippies," said David Epstein, a
member of the group from American University.

As the students sipped bottled water, Johnson told them of his drug
use as a young man and his decision years ago to forgo not only drugs
but alcohol and even Coca-Cola in favor of training for triathlons.

"I was somebody who smoked marijuana in college. I didn't experiment
with marijuana, I smoked it," Johnson said. "I made a bad choice, but
even then it wasn't a choice that I felt should have landed me in jail."

Johnson said he supports legalization of drugs, but under strict
control of sales and use and with significant taxation. Under a
legalization scheme, Johnson said, drugs such as marijuana, heroin and
cocaine should not be available to anyone under 21, public drug use
should be banned and penalties should be increased for crimes such as
driving under the influence.

"There are going to be new problems under legalization," Johnson said.
"But I submit to you they are going to be about half of what they are
today under the prohibition model."

Current drug policy focuses too heavily on imprisoning people while
allowing illegal drug cartels to rake in billions of dollars, Johnson
said. Current anti-drug education efforts such as the government's
"this is your brain on drugs" television commercials amount to lies,
he said.

"You're brought up learning that drugs make you crazy," Johnson said.
"Then you do marijuana for the first time, and it's not so bad. It's
kind of cool. That's when kids find out it's been a lie."

Darren White, who oversees New Mexico's state police as head of the
Department of Public Safety, told the students he is unwilling to
support drug legalization but agreed with Johnson that current
anti-drug efforts are misguided.

"We aren't winning the drug war. I can tell you because I'm fighting
on the front lines every day," White said. "I call it a skirmish,
because that's the kind of resources I'm getting to fight it. ... As a
nation, we're not willing to give up the civil liberties necessary to
win the drug war."
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