U.S. ATTORNEY: GOV. SHOULD LEAD

U.S. Attorney John Kelly on Wednesday told Gov. Gary Johnson he should show
more leadership in working to reduce drug use, instead of pushing for drug
legalization.

Kelly and other members of Johnson's Drug Enforcement Advisory Council
urged the governor to support more early intervention programs to keep kids
off drugs and more drug treatment programs for prison inmates. "We need you
to play a role," Kelly told Johnson at a council meeting in Albuquerque.
"You need to provide that leadership."

Johnson said in an interview later that he favors redirecting money now
spent on drug law enforcement to drug-treatment and education programs. But
Johnson said he would not support spending any additional state money on
new drug-treatment programs because he wants to hold the line on state
spending.

The 16-member council is supposed to advise the governor on drug issues.
The current membership is mostly law enforcement leaders and was handpicked
by Johnson.

Kelly said he detects "a certain degree of tolerance" from Johnson
regarding the harm and devastation drugs cause families and communities.

"We have people dying in this state as a result of heroin and cocaine,"
Kelly told the governor. "You're saying that's their problem -- they made a
bad choice. Well, I don't accept that. I think we have a duty to
communities to solve this."

Johnson maintains society would have fewer problems if drugs, such as
marijuana and heroin, were legalized because they could be controlled,
regulated and taxed. Johnson stressed Wednesday that he does not advocate
using drugs.

"I'm someone who contends doing sugar is a bad choice," Johnson told the
council. "Some of you are doing too much sugar. Do you realize the bad
health effects of doing too many doughnuts?"

Kelly said legalization of alcohol did not do away with the problem of
alcoholism, which he said is severe in New Mexico.

Johnson countered that the per capita percentage of people using drugs in
the Netherlands, which has decriminalized heroin and marijuana, is half
what it is in the United States.

"Their violent crime rate is one-quarter ours, and their incarceration rate
is a tenth," Johnson said. "So wouldn't it suggest that maybe there's a
different way of doing this."

Kelly said drug usage in the United States has been reduced by 50 percent
in the last 20 years, contrary to Johnson's contention that the war on
drugs has failed.

"If we've made that much progress in 20 years, why would we walk away from
it now?" Kelly asked. "You're throwing the baby out with the bath water."

Kelly also criticized Johnson for not seeking advice from the council
before launching his crusade to legalize drugs earlier in the year.

"It's our view you have not engaged with us in good faith," Kelly said.

Sandoval County Sheriff Ray Rivera, who chairs the council, told Johnson
the group was unanimous in opposing drug legalization. All 14 district
attorneys also are opposed, said council member Matt Sandoval of Las Vegas,
president of the New Mexico District Attorneys Association.

Three council members, including representatives of the FBI and the federal
Drug Enforcement Administration, resigned in October because of Johnson's
push to legalize drugs.

Johnson's drug stance also led Darren White to resign as state Public
Safety secretary last month.