JOHNSON TURNS TO NEW DRUG ISSUES

ALBUQUERQUE - Gov. Gary Johnson - who has been hailed as a hero by
drug-reform activists at a national conference here this week - told
reporters Friday that there are two more drug-related issues that have
grabbed his attention.

One is the issue of people who are out of prison on probation and get
sent back to prison if they test positive for marijuana. Johnson said
this creates a "revolving door" and serves no purpose.

The other issue is the role of undercover police agents in drug
arrests. The governor contended that many drug-trafficking cases
involve drug users who are "hounded" by narcotics agents to sell.

"I want to clean up injustices," Johnson said during a break at the
Lindesmith Center-Drug Policy Foundation's annual conference, which is
being held at the Hyatt-Regency.

Although Johnson was not on Friday's program, he attended several
sessions of the conference, which is titled Drug Policies for the New
Millennium.

Johnson did not have specific proposals for either the probation issue
or the undercover-police issue. He said he wants to have his
administration look for possible solutions and take a "legislative
approach" to these issues.

Earlier this year Johnson proposed a package of eight drug-reform
bills - most of which did not make it through the Legislature. "Do we
really have to lock up people on probation just because they're caught
smoking marijuana?" Johnson said. "Are there other options besides
putting them back in prison? Many people can't stay clean, so they
can't stay out of prison. Is this a medical problem or a criminal problem?"

Johnson said that besides cases in which officers find large amounts
of drugs being transported in vehicles, nearly all drug-trafficking
arrests are made by undercover police who arrange buys.

The governor said he recently pardoned a man who had been in prison
for trafficking marijuana.

"He was on a baseball team, and he and some of his teammates used to
smoke pot after the games," Johnson said. "An undercover agent talked
him into selling pot."

Johnson said he did not remember the pardoned man's name. Efforts to
get the information from other administration officials were
unsuccessful Friday.

Any effort to curb undercover agents undoubtedly will arouse
opposition from police.

Asked about Johnson's remarks, Lt. Robert Olguin of the Santa Fe-based
Region 3 multiagency narcotics task force says the undercover
operation is a crucial tool in fighting the drug problem.

"We always try to get to the highest level of drug dealer," Olguin
said.

Although Johnson, a Republican, was praised at the conference by
people of various political stripes, some speakers took shots at
Republican President Bush, who counts Johnson as a supporter.

"I'm always defending him," Johnson said. "I still believe in George
Bush. Look, even if Al Gore had been elected, there wouldn't be any
major drug-policy reform in the first 100 days of office. Give him a
little bit of a break."