ANDERSON'S DRUG POLICY A HIT IN L.A.

LOS ANGELES -- Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson irked many
constituents when he cut off support for the popular DARE anti-drug
abuse program in city schools this summer.

But the outspoken mayor drew rousing acclaim Tuesday at the offbeat
"Shadow Convention," offering provocative political alternative views
to the tamer Democratic National Convention down the street.

Anderson's DARE-busting action earned him an invitation as a guest
speaker during a session on "The Failed War on Drugs." His fiery
comments denouncing the country's drug policy brought wild applause and
cheers, ending in a standing ovation.

Anderson called the get-tough approach to drug prevention "absolute
insanity," pointing out that the number of Americans imprisoned for
drug offenses has grown from 41,000 to 458,000 in 20 years.

"It is the war on drugs -- a war that was manufactured for political
gain; a war that has backfired on the American people, viciously and
relentlessly; a war that history will forever condemn as poorly
conceived and pathetically, yet brutally, executed," he said.

Anderson said the only effective way to fight narcotics is to attack
the demand side -- with education, prevention and treatment programs --
rather than the supply side that is currently the focus of law
enforcement. He also advocated a policy of helping people break their
addictions rather than locking them up.

In an interview, he said he was not advocating the legalization of any
drugs. But, he added, " Decriminalization of marijuana might be more
workable. To throw people in jail for smoking a joint of marijuana is
really destructive to everyone, including the taxpayer."

He later said he was not advocating decriminalization of pot, only
suggesting that it "might be" one way to begin a more rational
approach to drug fighting. "It is something we need more dialogue on,"
he added.

Anderson, a defense attorney, acknowledged to The Salt Lake Tribune in
an interview in October that he had used marijuana as a young man.

The topic came up in the aftermath of a detailed 31-question survey
submitted by the Deseret News to Anderson and rival mayoral candidate
Stuart Reid during last year's Salt Lake City election.

Both candidates criticized the questionnaire as too personal. But
Anderson answered a question about drug use by saying he had not used
any illegal substances in the past 17 years -- a time corresponding
with the age of his son. He declined to comment on his activities
before that time, saying it was "no one's business."

Later in the mayoral campaign, however, the 48-year-old Anderson
acknowledged to The Tribune that he had used marijuana more than 17
years earlier. The newspaper did not publish his admission because of
its questionable relevancy at the time.

But with Anderson's newly launched public campaign advocating drug
policy reforms, and his comments about the merit of considering
decriminalization of marijuana, his previous admission gained
relevance.

Anderson said he did not share the views of some speakers at the
Shadow Convention who were clearly advocating the decriminalization of
marijuana. Included among those was New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a
Republican.

"I'm far more conservative than a lot of people at this convention,"
said Anderson. He added that he supports criminal laws against the use
of hard drugs such as cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.

"One person in my life, whom I won't name, is addicted to crack
cocaine," said Anderson.

He added that legal consequences facing her were "life-altering in
very positive ways."

Tribune reporter Rebecca Walsh contributed to this report.