LEADERS DISCUSS DRUG WAR POLICY

Debate Covers Legalization, Education, Treatment

Gov. Gary Johnson battled it out over drug legalization with the new
administrator for the DEA during a heated debate at the UNM Continuing
Education Center Monday.

The public debate was the first on drug policy for Asa Hutchinson, who
was confirmed to the Drug Enforcement Agency post by the Senate Aug.
8. About 250 people packed the auditorium for the event, which was
taped for the Pennsylvania-based weekly National Public Radio program
"Justice Talking."

Margot Adler, the host of the program, introduced Johnson and
Hutchinson. She said public discussion of drug policy and law
enforcement was of growing importance.

"Since the Nixon administration, Americans have spent billions on
drugs, and billions fighting them," she said.

During introductory speeches, Johnson said he was fighting for the
legalization of marijuana and the lessening of punishment for other
drugs, increased drug prevention education, and what he called "harm
reduction" -- providing such stopgaps as methadone and needle exchanges
to users to prevent overdoses and the spread of disease.

Johnson has gained nationwide attention for his belief that the "war
on drugs" is a failure.

"Half of law enforcement, half the courts and half the jail population
are drug related," he said. "90 percent of the arrests are for
possession only, and half these are Hispanic. I'm going to live to see
80 million Americans arrested for drug use. We have to stop arresting
1.6 million people a year."

Johnson called drugs a handicap and said he didn't think anyone should
use them, but said the decision should be left to individuals, not law
enforcement.

Hutchinson agreed with Johnson's statement that drugs are harmful, but
said legalization would only encourage use.

"If we as a nation want to discourage use that harms, our laws should
reflect those values," he said. "Our laws should be the master
teacher, and they should be enforced."

He said he supported the idea of public debate on the subject, and
that he was a strong advocate of programs like drug court, which
allows some offenders to go through treatment programs and community
service in lieu of jail time.

Johnson said his views on drug policy came from personal experience --
he has publicly admitted to using marijuana in the past.

"My fundamental belief is that these are bad choices, but you're not
harming anyone but yourself," he said.

Hutchinson, a former U.S. representative from Arkansas, said his
experience as a federal prosecutor allowed him to see what drug use
did to families.

"We can do better than giving in to drug culture," he
said.

Adler asked the two to outline their ideas for what the U.S. drug
policy should look like.

Johnson said his ideal policy would work to reduce death, disease and
crime through treatment, and stress legal action for drug users who
harm someone else while under the influence of drugs. He called
attempts to seize drugs at U.S. borders, "pissing in the wind," and
said more money should be put into education and treatment.

Hutchinson agreed that an updated policy should include strong
treatment programs. He called education a critical component, citing
its role in recent shifts in public opinion regarding tobacco and
seatbelt use. But incarceration, especially for traffickers, should
continue to be available as an option, he said.

Johnson contended that incarceration was overused.

"The government assumes that everybody that smokes marijuana belongs
in jail," he said.

Hutchinson argued that fining people for minor drug offenses would
fail to deter users.

"I don't think you're discouraging use by saying you're not violating
a federal law," he said.

Johnson defended Hutchinson after the crowd booed the DEA
administrator's suggestion that New Mexicans are not buying in to the
governor's ideas.

"This represents a huge change in federal policy to have Asa here to
talk," he said, congratulating Hutchinson for his participation.

Michael Chapman, the chief public affairs officer for the DEA,
traveled to the debate from Washington, D.C. with several agents to
support Hutchinson.

"Mr. Hutchinson is genuinely interested in doing the best he can do to
answer the problem of drug abuse, and he's more than willing to get
the message out to the public, and listen to what they have to say,"
he said.

The debate was sponsored by the UNM Law School, KUNM 89.9-FM and the
National AIDS Brigade.