NM DRUG REFORM GOES TO POT

Legislature Adjourns Without Approving Governor's Proposals

For nearly two years, Gov. Gary Johnson has spread his gospel of drug
reform, calling the war on drugs a failure and urging New Mexico to become
a laboratory for what he termed "harm reduction" policies.

The Republican governor's crusade propelled him into the national spotlight
- -- and into direct opposition with his own party.

But now, after two months of intense lobbying, late-night negotiations and
heated debate, Mr. Johnson's most ambitious proposals to reform New
Mexico's drug laws lay dead in the Capitol.

The Legislature adjourned its 60-day session Saturday without legalizing
the medical use of marijuana and decriminalizing the possession of small
amounts of marijuana.

Mr. Johnson, in a news conference after lawmakers broke for the year, said
he was not "disheartened" by the outcome.

"Arguably, what happened during this session advanced a set of bills that
have never advanced this far in any legislature in the country," he said.

"So on one hand, gosh, I wish a few more of them would have been heard or
voted on and passed. On the other hand, as far as they went, they went a
long way."

Mr. Johnson, who admitted using marijuana and cocaine in his youth, is an
avid athlete who doesn't drink alcohol or use drugs. He always prefaced his
speeches about drugs with the disclaimer "drugs are bad."

But he argues that the nation's current drug policies infringe on
individual liberty, clog the criminal justice system with nonviolent drug
offenders, and focus on incarceration rather than treatment.

The news wasn't all bad for Mr. Johnson. Three of his "harm reduction"
proposals were passed and await his signature.

Those measures would allow police and others to administer a drug that can
help prevent deaths from heroin overdoses; allow pharmacists to sell
hypodermic needles without fear of criminal prosecution; and fund expanded
drug treatment in New Mexico.