U.S., MEXICO GOVERNORS TO STUDY DRUG TRAFFICKING AS HEALTH ISSUE

TAMPICO, Mexico (AP) -- U.S. and Mexican border governors agreed Friday to
study drug trafficking as a health issue and not just a crime, a step
hailed by the New Mexico governor who favors legalizing marijuana and
ending the war on drugs.

On the last day of the 19th annual Border Governors Conference in the Gulf
of Mexico port of Tampico, officials announced they would form a commission
of scholars from the 10 U.S. and Mexican states along the border to study
the idea of addressing drug smuggling from a public health perspective.
Mexican governors proposed the idea, which was praised by New Mexico Gov.
Gary E. Johnson.

The conference includes California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas in the
U.S. and Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora and
Tamaulipas in Mexico. California Gov. Gray Davis dropped out at the last
moment to deal with his state's energy crisis.

Gov. Johnson, a two-term Republican, has become one of the U.S.'s leading
proponents of the legalization of marijuana. A former drug user himself, he
believes drug use is a health problem, not a crime, and is pushing for
state legislation to that effect.

He believes ending the prohibition on drugs would reduce violence,
corruption and many other problems in the border region.

"I couldn't be more excited about what transpired here," Gov. Johnson said
Friday of the joint commission. "I happen to believe that this is the
reason why we have a militarized border."

But while Mexican governors agreed to study the issue, Gov. Johnson
acknowledged that they are far from agreeing to push for drugs to be
legalized in their states. Nuevo Leon Gov. Fernando Canales and Baja
California Gov. Alejandro Gonzalez said the world isn't ready to legalize
drugs.

"I think the consensus was to give more attention to the health problems
caused by drug trafficking," Gov. Gonzalez said. "But to be able to
consider legalizing some of these drugs, such as marijuana, one country or
one region can't do it when it is a problem of many countries."

Chihuahua Gov. Patricio Martinez said he would support legalization of
certain drugs to dilute the power of criminal groups that benefit from the
black market.

"This should be studied, analyzed and looked at to see what the people want
and what are the effects from a different perspective that considers not
only their prohibition but also in given time their approval for medicinal
purposes or for rehabilitation or for other reasons," Gov. Martinez said.
"We need to study all aspects of drug use, especially marijuana."

In other matters, governors from both countries sought to spur growth of
the huge cross-border economy and to solve such problems as immigration,
water rights, energy needs and pollution.