COMMITTEE MOVES DRUG REFORM FORWARD

Several bills that are part of Gov. Gary Johnson's drug-reform package won
favorable recommendations by big margins Wednesday from a pivotal House of
Representatives committee.

Among the bills to pass the House Judiciary Committee were House Bill 431,
better known as the medical-marijuana bill. This would set up a program in
the state Health Department to allow people suffering serious medical
conditions to smoke marijuana to ease pain and nausea.

This bill prompted the lengthiest debate on Wednesday - three hours. Rep.
Ron Godbey, D-Cedar Crest, grilled bill supporters and offered a series of
amendments aimed at weakening the measure.

In the end, the committee passed a bill almost identical to SB319, approved
earlier this week in the Senate.

The chief difference between the Senate bill and the one that passed the
committee was a "sunset clause" introduced by committee chairman Rep. Ken
Martinez, D-Grants. This means if the bill becomes law, the
medical-marijuana program would expire in four years and would have to be
voted on again in the Legislature.

"What's hurt (the bill) so far is that it's become a political discussion
about a medical issue," said bill sponsor Rep. Joe Thompson, R-Albuquerque.
"In four years, the politics won't be going away."

Thompson and fellow Republican Dan Foley of Roswell voted against the sunset
provision.

After the vote, however, Thompson said the provision did not seriously hurt
his bill.

Other bills approved by the House Judiciary Committee Wednesday included:

* HB783, which calls for $9.8 million for new drug-treatment and prevention
programs. The full Senate unanimously passed a similar bill (SB628) on
Wednesday.

* HB18, which makes it harder for authorities to seize vehicles, money and
other property in drug cases. The bill is aimed at reducing civil-rights
violations by law enforcement. A similar version of this bills already has
been passed by the state Senate.

* HB812, which would allow licensed pharmacists to distribute hypodermic
syringes to drug addicts. The Senate has approved a near identical bill.

* HB813, which would change liability laws to allow police officers and
others to administer a drug called naloxone, or Narcan, which can save the
life of someone overdosing on heroin.

Other drug-reform bills - including HB918, which would remove criminal
penalties for possessing small amounts of marijuana - also were on the
committee's Wednesday agenda. However, the committee had not acted on any of
these by press time.

Godbey proved to be a stubborn foe of most of the drug bills. Known as the
most adamant opponent of Johnson's drug package, Godbey argued against and
cast the lone vote against all but the treatment-funds bill and the
forfeiture bill

Earlier Wednesday, Godbey challenged state Republican Chairman John Dendahl,
a proponent of the drug-reform package, to a debate on drug issues before
the State Republican Party Central Committee.