DEM PARTY LEADER WANTS GOV. TO RESIGN

State Democratic Party chairwoman Diane Denish said Monday that Republican Gov. Gary Johnson should resign for glorifying cocaine use.

"It's time for somebody to say he ought to quit being governor," Denish said in an interview. "He's obviously just using the platform of his office to promote all this drug stuff."

Johnson's office said he has no intention of resigning.

"Rather than resign, he's going to redouble his efforts, including the message, 'Don't do drugs. They're a bad choice,' '' said Dave Miller, Johnson's legislative liaison.

Denish said the state Republican Party should ask Johnson to quit because of a statement he made in an article in Sunday's New York Times Magazine. The article looked at Johnson's well-publicized national push to legalize marijuana and to change other drug laws.

The Times quoted Johnson, who has acknowledged using cocaine a couple of times in his 20s, as saying of the drug: "Whoa! I understand why people do it. This is UN-be-LIEV-able."

The article went on to say Johnson reckoned the drug was too dangerous for him to continue using it.

Johnson previously had described using cocaine as "euphoric." But the accomplished triathlete has repeatedly called any drug use "a bad choice" and "a handicap." He has said he has not done drugs since his early 20s and that he has not had a drink of alcohol in 13 years.

Denish called Johnson's latest statement about cocaine "the final straw."

"Using his office to gain access to local and national media and spread such an irresponsible message is misuse of office and constitutes malfeasance," Denish said in a news release. "Johnson is clearly sending the most irresponsible, harmful kind of message not only to New Mexico's children but the nation's children."

Denish also criticized Johnson for telling a group of college students in Washington, D.C., last fall that smoking marijuana is "kind of cool."

At the time, Johnson was criticizing authorities for not being honest about drugs in advertisements, such as the well-known "This is your brain on drugs" campaign.

"You're brought up learning that drugs make you crazy," Johnson said. "Then you do marijuana for the first time, and it's not so bad. It's kind of cool. That's when kids find out it's been a lie."

Johnson has said the war on drugs is a failure and suggested the billions of dollars the federal government spends on interdiction and incarceration should be redirected to drug treatment and education programs.

State Republican Party chairman John Dendahl on Monday said, while he could not speak from personal experience, Johnson was "probably telling the truth" about cocaine and marijuana "given their rampant use."

"And telling the truth, even though it may be an unpopular truth, is not grounds for removal from office under the articles of the New Mexico Constitution," Dendahl said.

Also Monday, Johnson's privately funded drug policy advisory group met at the Capitol in Santa Fe to consider how to find ways to reduce death, crime and health problems related to drug use.

The advisory group is to give Johnson recommendations in December before the start of the next regular legislative session.