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>From: "Peter McWilliams" <peter@mcwilliams.com>
>Subject: Johnson vs. McCaffrey
>Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 06:33:46 -0700
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>
>Pubdate: Mon, 04 Oct 1999
>Source: Associated Press
>Copyright: 1999 Associated Press
>Author: Matt Kelley, Associated Press Writer
>Link: Students for Sensible Drug Policy http://www.ssdp.org/
>
>N.M. GOV. SPREADING DRUGS MESSAGE
>
>WASHINGTON (AP) - 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.''
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Pubdate: Mon, 4 Oct 1999
>Source: Albuquerque Tribune (NM)
>Copyright: 1999 The Albuquerque Tribune.
>Contact: letters@abqtrib.com
>Website: http://www.abqtrib.com/
>Author: Associated Press
>Links: http://www.cato.org/events/drugwar/
>http://www.cato.org/dispatch/10-04-99d.html#johnson
>http://www.ssdp.org/
>
>JOHNSON ATTACKS 'LIES' OF DRUG WAR
>
>WASHINGTON - Drug use would remain steady or decline and crime would be
>slashed if drugs were legalized, New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson said today as
>he kicked off a tour of the nation's capital.
>
>Johnson, an Albuquerque Republican, told about a dozen college students
>that while he believes drugs are "a bad choice" and "a handicap," current
>federal anti-drug polices are a failure. "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 at George Washington
>University. "They choose when to do it. They do them at home. It's not a
>financial burden."
>
>The governor began the drug-decriminalization debate earlier this summer.
>He has asked the state political leaders to remain open-minded to the
>decriminalization issue.
>
>But 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."
>
>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 soft drinks 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 legalized drugs with strict taxes and control on
>their sales and use. 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 enhanced for crimes
>such as driving under the influence.
>
>Current drug policy focuses too heavily on throwing people in jail, while
>allowing illegal drug cartels to rake in billions of dollars, Johnson said.
>And current anti-drug education efforts such as the well-known "This is
>your brain on drugs" advertisements 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 as head of New Mexico's Department of Public Safety
>oversees the State Police, told the students he was not willing 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."
>
>Johnson will deliver a keynote speech Tuesday at luncheon by the Cato
>Institute, a Libertarian-leaning public policy research group. The
>organization is having a conference called "Beyond Prohibition: An Adult
>Approach to Drug Policies in the 21st Century."
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Pubdate: Tue, 05 Oct 1999
>Source: Associated Press
>Copyright: 1999 Associated Press
>Author: Matt Kelley, Associated Press
>
>N.M. GOV. CLARIFIES DRUGS POSITION
>
>WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pressed to clarify his views on legalizing drugs, New
>Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson said Tuesday he foresees a process that would
>start with marijuana.
>
>``I don't see legalization of dangerous drugs any time soon,'' Johnson told
>reporters after speaking for drug legalization at the libertarian Cato
>Institute.
>
>Johnson, a Republican in his second term, drew strong criticism from
>anti-drug leaders last week when he became the first sitting governor to
>advocate legalized narcotics. Johnson said the nation's war on drugs has
>been a multibillion-dollar failure that throws too many people in prison.
>
>``I'm not pro-drug here. I'm against drugs,'' Johnson told his Cato
>audience. ``Should you go to jail for just doing drugs? I say no. I say you
>shouldn't.
>
>``Control it. Regulate it. Tax it. If we legalize it, we just might have a
>better society.''
>
>White House drug policy director Barry McCaffrey plans to speak Thursday in
>Albuquerque in opposition to Johnson's stand.
>
>``The agenda espoused by people like Governor Johnson would put more drugs
>into the hands of children and make drugs more available on our nation's
>streets,'' McCaffrey said Friday.
>
>Last week, Johnson said he favors legalizing marijuana and heroin. During
>discussions this week with groups pressing for changes in drug laws, he has
>said that legalizing any drug, along with the correct restrictions, could
>cause use of that drug to remain level or decline.
>
>Johnson said he views marijuana -- which he admits he smoked as a young man
>-- as less dangerous than tobacco or alcohol.
>
>``Marijuana is never going to have the devastating effects on us that
>alcohol and tobacco have on us,'' Johnson said. ``If marijuana is
>legalized, alcohol abuse goes down, because people will have a substance
>choice.''
>
>He said marijuana is the best candidate to be legalized first, followed by
>more dangerous drugs such as heroin or cocaine, the other illegal drug
>Johnson has admitted having used.
>
>Those dangerous drugs, Johnson said, should have even more restrictions on
>their sale and use than marijuana, such as perhaps requiring a doctor's
>prescription and being administered in a hospital or clinic.
>
>``I don't want to see it in grocery stores,'' Johnson told reporters. ``I'm
>assuming that wouldn't happen. The more dangerous the perception of the
>drug, the more control there would be.''
>
>With marijuana, Johnson said he foresees a time when states will regulate
>its sale and distribution as they now regulate hard liquor, which some
>states restrict to state-owned stores and others allow in private outlets.
>The federal or state governments could take over the growing, distributing
>and selling, Johnson said.
>
>``If that doesn't decrease drug use, I don't know what will,'' he joked.
>
>Other constraints, Johnson said, should include restricting drug sales to
>those over 21 and increasing penalties for crimes committed under the
>influence of drugs.
>
>Johnson said public reaction in calls and letters to his office has been
>running ``97 to 3'' in favor of his position, but he doubts he could get a
>drug legalization measure through the New Mexico legislature.
>
>``As I stand here right now, I don't see that as being possible,'' Johnson
>said. ``I see that as a federal issue.''
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Pubdate: Tue, 05 Oct 1999
>Source: Reuters
>Copyright: 1999 Reuters Limited.
>
>U.S. DRUG CZAR ATTACKS LEGALIZATION CALL
>
>LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey Tuesday
>accused the governor of New Mexico of ignorance and irresponsibility in
>calling for the legalization of marijuana and heroin.
>
>Responding to Republican Gov. Gary Johnson's radical alternative to the
>``expensive failure'' of the war on drugs, McCaffrey told reporters: ``I am
>
>astonished. Gov. Johnson in New Mexico is acting in an irresponsible
>manner. This is the same governor last year who vetoed a $2.6 million drug
>treatment program.
>
>``Obviously the governor hasn't seen the nature of drug addiction in the
>same manner that drug treatment professionals in that state and law
>enforcement have encountered,'' said McCaffrey.
>
>Johnson, a 46-year-old triathlon athlete who admits having used drugs in
>college, said last week that legalizing drugs could be the best way to
>fight abuse. Saying his goal was to reduce drug use in United States,
>Johnson suggested that legalization would allow the government to regulate
>them as it does alcohol and tobacco.
>
>McCaffrey, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control
>Policy, said the number of heroin-related deaths in New Mexico had doubled
>the national average in recent years.
>
>``The problem isn't that they (drugs) are illegal. The problem is that they
>are ferociously addictive and they make people act in a compulsive manner.
>They make them unemployable and they get them involved in permanently
>altered and impaired brain function. That's the problem with these drugs,''
>McCaffrey said.
>
>``In a democracy everyone is welcome to debate these notions. But if you
>are going to be a public official it seems to me you have to have informed
>and rational perspectives.''
>
>McCaffrey was in Los Angeles to address an anti-drugs concert for school
>children and to meet Olympic champion Carl Lewis for talks on doping in
>sport.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Pubdate: Tue, 05 Oct 1999
>Source: Albuquerque Tribune (NM)
>Copyright: 1999 The Albuquerque Tribune.
>Contact: letters@abqtrib.com
>Website: http://www.abqtrib.com/
>Author: Barry Massey
>Note: To contect members of the New Mexico:
>Senate: http://legis.state.nm.us/scripts/senate_info.asp
>House: http://legis.state.nm.us/scripts/house_info.asp
>MAP's: Topical News Shortcut:
>http://www.mapinc.org/johnson.htm
>
>Gov. Could Lose GOP Veto Support Over Drug View
>
>Gov. Gary Johnson's most powerful weapon in dealing with the Democratic
>majority in the Legislature has been his ability to simply say, "No," and
>stop legislation with vetoes. But Johnson's veto power could lose some of
>its punch if he alienates too many Republicans by advocating the
>legalization of drugs such as marijuana and heroin.
>
>For Johnson's vetoes to succeed, the governor must have the support of
>Republicans in the House and Senate to prevent a veto override by
>Democrats. Despite rejecting hundreds of bills since taking office in 1995,
>Democrats have succeeded just once in enacting legislation over a veto.
>
>But when it comes to veto overrides, Johnson doesn't have too many GOP
>votes to spare.
>
>"I think the risk of losing support in the House side has been amplified by
>a factor of 10," Rep. Ron Godbey, an Albuquerque Republican, says of
>Johnson's declaration of support last week for drug legalization.
>
>When House Republicans meet later this month to prepare for next year's
>legislative session, Godbey will ask his colleagues to vote for a
>resolution condemning Johnson's stance on drugs and asking the governor to
>refrain from advocating drug legalization.
>
>House GOP Leader Ted Hobbs of Albuquerque isn't happy with Johnson's much
>publicized crusade for drug law changes.
>
>But, he says, "I don't think it will damage our ability to uphold his
>vetoes."
>
>Currently, Democrats hold a 40-30 majority in the House and 25-17 advantage
>in the Senate. That means Democrats need the support of seven Republicans
>in the House and three in the Senate for a veto override if all members
>cast votes and all Democrats oppose the governor.
>
>"The drug thing is so far off the wall that we are able to separate that,"
>says Hobbs. "We still want to stand behind Governor Johnson on most of his
>basic principles -- size of government, reduced taxation and true school
>reform."
>
>Rep. Terry Marquardt, an Alamogordo Republican, puts it this way: "I think
>Republicans will continue to support the governor on Republican issues."
>
>Sen. R.L. Stockard, a Bloomfield Republican and a retired State Police
>captain, says, "Even though the governor has damaged himself on this issue,
>I don't know that the Republicans would break and run from him on all the
>issues just because they disagree with him on this issue."
>
>For any governor, the veto power is important. It's not only a way to block
>legislation, but the threat of a veto can provide a governor with political
>leverage to pressure lawmakers to change a bill. But such threats are
>hollow if the Legislature can override a governor's veto.
>
>For Republicans in the Legislature -- as the minority party -- Johnson's
>veto power has served as a check on the Democratic majority's ability to
>steamroll them in the House and Senate.
>
>Godbey says Johnson could have counted on House Republicans to "march in
>lockstep" in opposing veto overrides in the past. Now, he says, more
>members are likely to take a closer look at the underlying piece of
>legislation before deciding whether to sustain a Johnson veto.
>
>"With what he had in the last session, he could rule with an iron fist,"
>Godbey said. "He was absolutely king of the mountain. I am sure he is not
>in that position now."
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Pubdate: Tue, 05 Oct 1999
>Source: Associated Press
>Copyright: 1999 Associated Press
>Author: Charisse Jones, USA TODAY
>MAP's: Topical News Shortcut for Gov. Johnson:
>http://www.mapinc.org/johnson.htm
>
>WASHINGTON - New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson told activists and scholars
>Tuesday that the government should regulate narcotics but not punish those
>who abuse them.
>
>The maverick Republican, whose stance on legalizing drugs has angered
>lawmakers, spoke at a conference on national drug policies at the Cato
>Institute, a libertarian think tank here. Johnson said legalization remains
>a viable alternative to a federal program that has spent billions but done
>little to stem drug use. It was his most detailed explanation yet of how
>legalization of drugs might work.
>
>''For the amount of money we're putting into the war on drugs, I suggest
>it's an absolute failure,'' Johnson said. ''Make drugs a controlled
>substance like alcohol ... legalize it, control it, regulate it, tax it. If
>you legalize it, we might actually have a healthier society.''
>
>Johnson's remarks only stoked the controversy that has enveloped him since
>he began calling this summer for a national dialogue on drug policy that
>included the ideas of legalizing or decriminalizing drugs.
>
>Last week, he took an even bolder stance, saying he supported legalizing
>illicit drugs. And though Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura has also said the
>government should regulate illegal drugs, Johnson is the highest ranking
>elected official to push for such a strategy on a national level.
>
>Barry McCaffrey, President Clinton's drug czar and a retired general, said
>in a statement Tuesday that Johnson's ideas are misguided. He plans to
>speak Thursday in Albuquerque in opposition to Johnson's drug plan.
>
>''Whether you call it legalization, decriminalization or drug policy
>reform,'' he said, ''the bottom line is that the agenda espoused by people
>like Gov. Johnson would put more drugs into the hands of our children and
>make drugs more available on our nation's streets.''
>
>The federal Office of National Drug Control Policy contends that policies
>are working. The number of people using cocaine dropped 69% from 1983 to
>1998. And the number of youths using cocaine dropped 13% between 1997 and
>1998, according to Bob Weiner, a spokesman for McCaffrey.
>
>But Johnson counters that federal policy favors prosecution over
>rehabilitation. He says legalizing any drug, such as heroin and cocaine,
>would probably lead to a decline in use and abuse because once regulated,
>drugs would be harder to get.
>
>Johnson suggested a host of new laws that would accompany a policy of
>legalization, such as the prohibition of drug sales to people under 21 and
>a provision that would allow employers to issue drug tests and fire an
>employee caught using narcotics on the job.
>
>Driving or committing a crime under the influence of drugs could lead to
>stiffer punishments, he said, the same way using a gun or driving drunk
>bring harsher penalties.
>
>Johnson's views on drugs have made headlines before. During his first
>gubernatorial campaign in 1994, Johnson acknowledged that he used marijuana
>and cocaine while he was a student at the University of New Mexico. But the
>46-year-old triathlete says he didn't touch drugs after college and has not
>even had a drink in the last 12 years.
>
>''I'm not pro-drug ... I stopped because it is a handicap,'' he said. But
>he said that if he and his friends had been caught, they would not have
>deserved a prison term. ''I don't think we can continue to lock up America
>because of bad choices.''
>
>Johnson admits that it is doubtful any drug stronger than marijuana will be
>legalized in the near future. Six western states and the District of
>Columbia have approved initiatives legalizing marijuana for medical use.
>
>Johnson says he has no plans to introduce drug legalization laws in New
>Mexico because ''it would take federal legislation'' to change the system.
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Pubdate: Tue, 05 Oct 1999
>Source: San Francisco Examiner (CA)
>Copyright: 1999 San Francisco Examiner
>Contact: letters@examiner.com
>Website: http://www.examiner.com/
>Forum: http://examiner.com/cgi-bin/WebX
>Page: A 18
>
>A GOVERNOR FOR DRUG LEGALIZATION
>
>WHAT'S CRAZIER: Legalizing drugs, or a war on drugs that spends billions 
of
>dollars a year in such specious activities as destroying crops in foreign
>fields and locking up casual users for years in prison?
>
>New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson thinks he knows the answer. It's not music 
to
>the ears of Gen. Barry McCaffrey, the administration drug czar who wants 
to
>step up enforcement and anti-drug messages.
>
>Johnson holds a unique qualification: He's one politician who admits not
>only that he used drugs in his youth, but enjoyed them. He gave them up
>years ago to train for triathalons.
>
>The Republican governor argues that legalization would cause drug use to
>drop a bit or remain the same while the crime rate declined.
>
>He's not the only one who says the national get-tough policy on drugs is an
>abject failure. Federal judges think strict sentencing guidelines for drug
>cases are irrational. Civil rights groups say the disparity in punishment
>for defendants convicted in crack and powdered cocaine cases are unfair,
>even racist. Some arch-conservatives want to legalize drugs as a way to
>reduce property crimes such as burglary.
>
>The debate has reached the San Francisco district attorney's race, where
>challenger Steve Castleman thinks drug users should be kept out of jail in
>favor of keeping locked up criminals who use guns.
>
>Johnson doesn't advocate drug use - he calls that "a bad choice" and "a
>handicap." But he recognizes reality: Marijuana scare stories are a lie,
>and some people use drugs while succeeding in school, career and life.
>
>Stone-cold sober consideration shows that the nation's drug war is wacked
>out on slogans, hyper-expensive but mostly useless technology and excessive
>punishment that does more harm than good. If Johnson starts a dialogue,
>that's his contribution to restoring sanity.
>
>
>
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