CAPITOL CHRONICLE: LAWMAKER TO JOHNSON: STAY AWAY FROM OUR CHILDREN

State Rep. Ben Lujan is trying to pull together a bipartisan group of
legislators to publicly ask Gov. Gary Johnson to "stay away from our kids"
when the governor is pushing his belief in the legalization of hard drugs.

Lujan's action follows protests from some parents of DeVargas Middle School
students, who say 12- and 13-year-olds are too young to hear the Republican
governor's narcotics message.

Johnson - who believes narcotics, including heroin, should be regulated
like prescription medications - often fills his drug speeches with
anecdotes aimed at proving that marijuana is much less dangerous than alcohol.

(As in: "Hundreds of thousands die from alcohol every year, but I don't
know of anyone killed by marijuana." "Watch out for the drunk boy at the
party. But the one who's smoked marijuana just wants to put on headsets and
attack a bag of potato chips.")

Johnson is scheduled to speak at DeVargas on Monday. But since the parent
protest, Principal Debra Carden decided to ban drug queries, instead
pre-determining six questions students will ask, including "Do you think
aliens exist?"

"Things are bad enough with our youth right now," said Lujan, D-Nambe. "We
don't need to bring this type of subject to them. They can turn around and
use it against

their parents, saying, 'Well, the governor of New Mexico is telling us this
thing.'

"I just don't think that he should be going into our public schools
discussing drug issues with even seniors or juniors, much less sixth- or
seventh-graders."

Lujan said lawmakers will "request that he stay away from our kids in our
public schools on this drug issue."

If that doesn't work, Lujan said, legislators will ask that when the
governor does speak to children about narcotics, the other side - law
enforcement - is represented to discuss what they see as the consequences
of drug use.

Johnson responded: "I think the representative needs to understand that
without exception, I've been invited to talk about the issue."

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SCHOOLS OR PRISONS: State Rep. Max Coll wants a law that says the state
can't increase spending faster for prisons than schools.

"That's the wrong investment," says Coll, chairman of the powerful House
Appropriations and Finance Committee. "The fact that our schools are
failing is what's causing the prison (population) increase."

Coll's idea comes as Johnson's Corrections secretary, Rob Perry, is asking
lawmakers for an additional $5 million to beef up security at the troubled
private prisons in Santa Rosa and Hobbs, and talking about tens of millions
more for a "supermax" facility.

Coll, a Santa Fe Democrat, said he's having his proposal researched -
specifically whether such a restriction on spending can be implemented, and
whether it could be accomplished by statute or perhaps a constitutional
amendment.

Johnson, who often promotes spending more "at the front end" (i.e.
education) to reap the benefits "at the back end" (i.e. less crime and
other societal problems), said:

"Sounds nice, but I don't know how it relates to reality."

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GOVERNOR SCORES AGAIN: Johnson, already the subject of a piece being put
together by revered news show 60 Minutes, now will be profiled in Rolling
Stone magazine.

Mike Gray, author of Drug Crazy: How We Got Into This Mess And How We Can
Get Out, has written the article but doesn't know when it will run. The
magazine confirmed that the story was in the works but wouldn't comment
further.

Gray, who also was nominated for an Oscar for the original screenplay of
The China Syndrome, said he believes the governor is the right person to
champion drug legalization.

"He's the only one who could possibly lead the battle," Gray said from his
Los Angeles home. "First of all, he's independently wealthy." And the
governor has no future political aspirations.

"There are damn few people who have a public platform who have that kind of
security."

The governor, who could not be reached for comment Friday, was ridiculed in
October by Drug Czar Barry McCaffrey for getting his pro-drug legalization
arguments out of Rolling Stone.

"What Rolling Stone and a lot of others who do really understand this issue
are presenting (is) the truth," Johnson said at the time.

Johnson has received much attention as the nation's highest public official
- - and a Republican as well - to support the legalization of all drugs.

A 60 Minutes crew is expected to finish shooting next week, but not before
Johnson faces interviewer Ed Bradley.

In addition, The Economist called recently and Johnson received a request
from Sam Donaldson's new webcast show for a Friday interview, said the
governor's legislative liaison Dave Miller.

"I guess this is all a part of toning it down," Miller quipped.

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