GOVERNOR'S WAR ON DRUG LAWS

Santa Fe, N.M. - It's an issue that has plagued George W. Bush and Bill
Clinton, but when Gov. Gary Johnson admitted in 1994 to having used
marijuana and cocaine, he barely rippled the water among New Mexico
voters.

When the conservative Republican came out in favor of legalizing drugs
this summer, the voters didn't criticize him for his position so much
as his travel schedule.

"We didn't pay him to go prancing and dancing all over the place,"
complained one of his foes, state Sen. Billy McKibben, referring to
Johnson's numerous appearances at debates, forums and news shows. "He
should stay home and tend to business." But Johnson's remarkably
unscathed hike through the minefields of legalization may have come to
an abrupt end this month.

His chief law enforcement officer resigned because of Johnson's
position on legalization. Formerly loyal Republican lawmakers, whose
relations with Johnson are strained over the drug issue, are balking
at crucial legislation. In the wake of these setbacks, Johnson
promised last week to "tone down" the debate he started last summer.

Drug use didn't seem to be a problem when Johnson was elected to his
first term in 1994, after he checked "yes" on a media questionnaire
that asked candidates if they had ever used drugs. Johnson, 46, said
he enjoyed the highs of his college years and believes most people who
use illegal substances do so responsibly.

There were no screaming headlines and no investigations. He was
elected to a second term by a wider margin than his first.

Johnson has said he does not advocate drug use, calling it a "bad
choice," but has labeled the so-called war on drugs a "miserable
failure." He believes drugs should be legalized and made available to
addicts under extremely restricted circumstances, as is done in
Britain. More money should be funneled into rehabilitation and
prevention, he says.

His positions drew support from organizations including the Lindesmith
Center, a drug policy research institute in New York, and the Cato
Institute, a conservative-libertarian think tank in Washington that
paid for several of Johnson's drug policy promotional trips. Earlier
this month, conservative Orange County Superior Court Judge James P.
Gray called Johnson a "patriot of common sense." Letters to New
Mexico's largest newspaper, the Albuquerque Journal, have been running
four to one in the governor's favor.

Johnson has his detractors on the national level, notably drug czar
Gen. Barry McCaffrey, but in New Mexico it seemed the governor could
do no wrong.

State Republican Chairman John Dendahl, who supports Johnson's views,
says New Mexico is "a tolerant place, and in general I think people
get more upset about being lied to than about someone who tells them
the truth about past acts.

"Besides, I believe there is a great silent majority out there who
believes the war on drugs has been a failure. Some Republicans are
upset with him. But many more aren't." "Well, he's dead wrong about
that," answers McKibben.

This month there is evidence that McKibben might be right.

Press secretary Diane Kinderwater said the governor was "baffled" by
the sudden resignation of his public safety director, Darren White.
White said that his relationship with Johnson began deteriorating as
soon as the governor announced his support for legalization and that
he could no longer tolerate the "demoralizing" effect on law
enforcement.

State Police Chief Frank Taylor agreed to replace White on an acting
basis, but only after Johnson assured him he would not curtail current
drug interdiction policies.

Days after White's resignation, Republican legislators, who formerly
were supportive of the governor's policy on Indian casinos, balked at
Johnson's proposal to lower rates paid by Indian tribes on casino
profits from 16 percent to 6.4 percent.

The party had already twice strengthened platform language opposing
drug legalization, a direct response to Johnson's position.

Johnson met privately with Republicans to preview his proposed gaming
compromise. When he found no support for that, he promised to stop
scheduling drug policy appearances, saying his views on legalization,
especially concerning heroin, had been misunderstood. The Republican
response isn't clear yet.

Johnson became governor - his first public office - after making millions
in the construction industry. He has championed traditional Republican
causes such as school vouchers, private prisons, and welfare roll cuts
but is generally considered closer to the Libertarian Party.

"The Republicans were only a party of convenience for him," McKibben
says.

"He's really a pubertarian. He hasn't grown up." "Gary has no
intention of running for any office again in the future," Dendahl
says. "He felt strongly enough about this issue to bring it out while
he still had a bully pulpit."