New Mexico Governor Speaks To
Anti-Prohibitionist Student Group:
"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.''
October 4, 1999
From The Associated Press
By Matt Kelley, Associated Press Writer (Marijuananews note: This
is a remarkable article about a remarkable statement from a politician. Johnson is driving
the prohibitionists crazy. He still has a lot to learn on the subject, but he is obviously
a fast study.)
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. http://www.ssdp.org
"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.
(Marijuananews note: I disagree with the Governor on the legal age.
It should be 18.
If someone is old enough to vote, they need marijuana in order to be able to stand the
pain of having to choose the appalling people who govern us.
Actually, it is unrealistic to expect young people to wait until they are 21 to use
marijuana.
Also, I think that Johnson should study the Dutch model. They raised the legal age for
marijuana from 16 to 18 under foreign pressure. A key point that he is missing is the
separation of the marijuana market from hard drugs.)
See
Final Report Of Dutch
National Drug Use Survey Will Require New Lies From The Drug Czar:
Their Lifetime Cannabis Use Half of DEAland’s; Two-Thirds That of UK
"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. ...
See
The Washington Post
Reports On FBI Investigation of Police Murdering A Marijuana Suspect.
Would It Have Been Okay, If They Had Found Some Marijuana?
The Czar Says It’s Not A War, But Go Tell His Widow
Lies Have Consequences.
As a nation, we're not willing to give up the civil
liberties necessary to win the drug war.''
(Marijuananews note: That is why our liberties have been taken away one at a time, and
why the prohibitionist propaganda must continue to demonize marijuana users so that more
such laws can be passed.)
Copyright: 1999 Associated Press
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