Pubdate: Sat, 28 Apr 2001
Source: Albuquerque Tribune (NM)
Copyright: 2001 The Albuquerque Tribune
Contact:  http://www.abqtrib.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/11
Author: Gilbert Gallegos

REPUBLICAN POLAR OPPOSITES DICTATE DRUG WAR BUT WHERE'S MAINSTREAM?

If Gov. Gary Johnson thought Gen. Barry McCaffrey was a hard sell on drug 
reform, wait until he gets a load of the general's replacement as the 
nation's drug czar.

President Bush intends to appoint John P. Walters, a conservative, 
tough-on-crime, former member of the first Bush administration, to replace 
McCaffrey as the director of the Office of Drug Control Policy.

Don't let political affiliation fool you.

Johnson, a Republican, couldn't have less in common with Walters, also a 
Republican, when it comes to drug policy. In fact, a few of Johnson's views 
are probably closer to McCaffrey's philosophy on drugs than they are to 
Walters' -- although you wouldn't know it by watching the sniping between 
Johnson and McCaffrey during last week's airing of NBC's "Meet the Press."

But at least Johnson and McCaffrey agree to some extent that drug 
prevention and treatment programs have a role in curbing drug use.

They part ways with Johnson's more libertarian view that decriminalizing or 
legalizing marijuana possession will do the most to cut into drug use.

Walters, on the other hand, has little use for the prevention/treatment mantra.

Walters has written in the past that his idea of prevention is enforcement, 
period.

Walters, who served as deputy director of drug control policy under former 
director William Bennett, has also challenged conventional wisdom, which he 
tags as "myths," that too many people are put in jail for merely possessing 
drugs, or that black men are punished disproportionately for drug use.

Funny thing is that Johnson consistently makes the same arguments to 
validate his drug legalization crusade.

Johnson says the current "war on drugs," which is heavy on intervention and 
punishment, discriminates against Hispanics, and it punishes otherwise 
law-abiding citizens who should have the freedom to smoke a joint if they 
pose no threat to their neighbors.

Johnson declined to comment about the appointment of Walters. But the 
governor's press secretary, Diane Kinderwater, said that Johnson is willing 
to give the new drug czar the benefit of the doubt.

"But once again, Gov. Johnson's strongest push is that we don't get tougher 
on these crimes," Kinderwater said. The larger question is which side, if 
any, of the drug debate represents "mainstream" America.

We know generally where the Gary Johnsons, the Barry McCaffreys and the 
John Walters fit on the drug-policy spectrum.

But lacking a mandate, it is difficult to judge whether Bush's appointment 
of Walters means most Americans want the feds to continue to crack down on 
illegal drug use.

Likewise, Johnson's claims that his efforts have opened the minds of middle 
America about marijuana are difficult to quantify.

If anything can be read into Bush's appointment it is the fact that 
political labels don't easily apply to the drug debate.

That should be evident in New Mexico with the rift that the drug debate has 
created within the state Republican Party.

The Lindesmith Center, a national organization that advocates drug-policy 
reform and strongly supports Johnson's efforts, is taking advantage of the 
political undertones of the debate.

The center, which has an office in Santa Fe, is planning a drug-policy 
conference June 1-2 in Albuquerque.

The conference, which will feature Johnson and others, is set to close with 
a session titled, "Debate: Republican or Democrat: Who will claim the drug 
reform issue?"

Gilbert Gallegos' political notebook appears Saturdays in The Tribune.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom