Ogdensburg, New York -- St. Lawrence County's ReconsiDer chapter has collected more than 450 signatures on letters urging reform of the state's and nations's drug laws.

ReconsiDer member Lawrence Seguin of Lisbon said the group managed to round up the names on letters promoting a variety of issues over the past two months.

Seguin said he and fellow member Lee Monnet began circulating the petitions after a visit to the local chapter by Nick Aeyle of the state ReconsiDer organization.

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It's the big stumbling block for some economic conservatives and social liberals who otherwise might walk right through the Libertarian Party door.

But there it is. Take it of leave it.

Libertarian Party members believe you should be free to use any drug at all, whether it's herion or tobacco.

"We're the only national party that has since its founding taken the position that you own your own body, life, and property," said Dottie-Lou Brokaw, "and that government has no business regulating what you drink, what you smoke, what you own, what you sell, or what you buy."

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A local spokesman for ReconsiDer criticized the recent countywide drug sweep that netted 34 people, saying the bust got low-level dealers and "users" who will be tagged with felony charges "for the rest of their lives."

"The large dealers are never caught," said Lee Monnet, a memeber of the local chapter of the drug decriminalization group. "It's always the low-level offenders.

"Many of these are young people, and I'm concerned that they're going to be carrying felonies for the rest of their lives. It's hard if they can't get jobs when they're tagged with felonies."

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