Pubdate: Thu, 30 Sep 1999 Source: Albuquerque Tribune (NM) Copyright: 1999 The Albuquerque Tribune. Contact: http://www.abqtrib.com/ Note: Governor Gary Johnson's Home Page: http://www.governor.state.nm.us/ For: details on the Cato conference see: http://www.cato.org/events/drugwar/ JOHNSON APPALLS OWN PARTY WITH LATEST DRUG TALK Gov. Gary Johnson's call to legalize marijuana and heroin drew severe criticism from some Republican party leaders, one of whom said the issue "undermines" Johnson's ability to be effective for the remainder of his term. State Senate Minority Leader Skip Vernon, an Albuquerque Republican, said today that his reaction to the governor's latest remarks is "supreme disappointment." "There is absolutely no Republican legislative support for legalizing any drug and most especially heroin," Vernon said. "For the governor to admit that it cannot happen in New Mexico but continue to pursue this course undermines his credibility and his ability to be an effective governor for the next three years." Albuquerque Republican Ted Hobbs, the House minority leader, said the governor is on his own on the drug issue. "I totally disagree with the legalization of drugs and with the decriminalization of drugs," Hobbs said. "Most of the Republicans I know disagree as well. Taking this position on drugs is very much his personal direction, as is his performance in athletic events. It's his thing, and I believe most people view it that way." State Republican Party chairman John Dendahl said he was concerned the governor's talk about drug policy is obscuring more favored Republican topics like taxes and education reform. "That is a concern, that preoccupation with talking about drug policy will overwhelm the state issues," Dendahl said. After months of saying he only wanted to open a state and national debate on the subject, Johnson voiced support for legalization of some drugs such as marijuana and heroin as an alternative to the current drug policy. "I am advocating that I think legalization is a viable alternative to what we are now doing," Johnson said at a news conference Wednesday. Johnson said he had no plans to propose legislation to make drugs legal in New Mexico but said he personally supports legalization as a national policy. Johnson's comments came as he prepared to step again into the national spotlight on the drug issue. He is scheduled to appear at a Cato Institute conference on the subject next week in Washington, D.C. The libertarian Cato Institute advocates drug legalization. Johnson, who has admitted using marijuana and cocaine in the 1970s, is the highest ranking elected official in the nation to promote drug legalization. Although Dendahl said he didn't believe Johnson's support for decriminalizing marijuana and heroin would hurt Republicans in future elections, he said party leaders throughout the state would have to remain focused on taxes and education reform issues. "We have to be sensitive to the facts on the ground," Dendahl said. "If we believe our issues are becoming subordinated, we have to caution the governor not to let that happen." Vernon said he realizes the governor has no future political plans of his own, but he said he wished Johnson had waited until the last year of his term to unleash his controversial drug views. "This governor has three years left on a four-year term," he said. "He has accomplished some very good things for New Mexico, and in the next three years we were hoping to do more. But what I see happening is that this push for legalizing drugs is creating a divide that I hope will not creep into other areas." Hobbs said Johnson needs to keep those other policies in mind. "I think the governor has to have a broader vision of what his agenda is," he said. "He has to look at corrections and taxes." Some Republicans have objected that Johnson is going against the party's national platform that backs strong criminal penalties for drug-related crimes. "Maybe the next thing he'll do is be bold enough to smoke a joint on TV," Sen. Billy McKibben, a Hobbs Republican, said of Johnson. McKibben said Johnson "has come out of the closet." "That clarifies it now, so that all of the Johnson supporters and the dope addicts will know for sure that the governor is advocating that -- not just a discussion, but the actual legalization. And let him carry that burden on out to the general public," McKibben said. The governor said his views have evolved as he's done more research on drug policies. Johnson said he favors drug legalization as the best approach for changing national policies that rely on prohibition and criminal sanctions as a way to deal with addiction and abuse of drugs. Decriminalization of some drugs, Johnson said, would not eliminate the black market economy of trafficking and growing of drugs. Legalization would allow governments to regulate, tax and control drugs like alcohol and tobacco. Johnson said he considers it possible to legalize drugs and not have an increase in drug use. And the governor reiterated that he was not condoning the use of drugs by children, calling them a "bad choice." In addition, Johnson made it clear that legalization of drugs would require new laws such as prohibiting drug use by children, much as alcohol sales are prohibited to anyone under age 21. Despite his support for drug legalization, Johnson acknowledged that it was politically unrealistic. "Realistically speaking, if you can start with marijuana, I would suggest that's huge. And realistically speaking, that may be 15 years off. But it would be better to have it 15 years off than 80 years off. And talking about it now, in my opinion, is going to get that closer," Johnson said. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake