Pubdate: Sun, 23 Apr 2006 Source: New Haven Register (CT) Copyright: 2006 New Haven Register Contact: http://www.nhregister.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/292 Author: Elizabeth Benton Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/people/Cliff+Thornton (Cliff Thornton) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) GREEN PARTY FIELDS STATE CANDIDATES NEW HAVEN -- The Connecticut Green Party nominated its first-ever slate of candidates for state offices Saturday, including the state's first black male candidate for governor, Clifford Thornton. Its annual daylong convention was held at the Greater New Haven Central Labor Council in the Fair Haven neighborhood. Thornton, 61, of Glastonbury, is a harsh critic of the war on drugs, and said he expects the issue will be the most important in his campaign. Thornton's mother died of a heroin overdose when he was 18. While he initially advocated for harsher drug laws and increased police enforcement, he claims after watching his "native Hartford going downhill decade after decade," he began to question the approach. The drug war, and its stiff penalties for drug users and sellers, Thornton claims, has created a devastating domino effect forcing parents and potential taxpayers into prison. His solution includes the "outright legalization of cannabis and hemp," which he admits to smoking on occasion, the medicalization of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and ecstasy, and the decriminalization of all drugs, he said. "I want to stop the crime and violence. The only way is to take the money out of it," he said. Heroin maintenance programs administered through hospitals can be more effective than methadone for those seeking to quit, Thornton said. He believes if heroin had been legal and supervised by doctors in the 1960s, his mother might have survived. Thornton said race will "definitely be an issue," particularly when talking about the drug war, but said this "is not going to be a race campaign." Thornton also supports a universal health care system and clean-election laws. He opposes the proposed liquefied natural gas facility in Long Island Sound. The Greens also nominated Nancy Burton as their candidate for attorney general; Mike DeRosa for secretary of the state; S. David Bue for state treasurer; and Ralph Ferrucci for U.S. Senate. Burton, of Redding, has been a public interest lawyer for the past 20 years. She has adopted the slogan "Clean Air, Clean Water, Clean Government." DeRosa criticized the recently passed Campaign Finance Reform law, which requires third parties to collect signatures of 20 percent of all voters in the last election to obtain clean election funds. "I will inform the public about the onerous, unfair and unconstitutional nature of this requirement," he said in his campaign literature. Bue is a certified financial planner, currently "practicing socially responsible investing" in Westport, according to his literature. Ferrucci, New Haven Guilty Party mayoral candidate, said he plans to call for immediate withdrawal from Iraq, universal health care, a repeal of the Patriot Act and "for an education system that covers people from pre-K through college."