DEBATE DRUG LEGALIZATION

New Mexico's Gov. Gary E. Johnson is now the highest ranking official in
the nation to call for legalizing drugs such as marijuana and heroin. That
may make the Republican an unusually courageous politician - especially if
he is thinking of running for another office when term limits prevent him
from seeking reelection in 2002. But even those who disagree with him
should be admitting that it is time the nation had a full, open discussion
on the merits and demerits of drug legalization.

Johnson contends that the war on drugs is an expensive failure. Millions of
Americans agree, but notably not among them is national drug control policy
director Barry R. McCaffrey, who believes Johnson's position is irresponsible.

"He's not listening to drug treatment experts and law enforcement
authorities and educators in his own state about the devastation that these
drugs do on Americans," McCaffrey said on CNN.

For his part, Johnson takes pains to make clear that he does not support
drug use. An avid athlete - he once ran 25 miles through the White Sands
Missile Range while wearing Army boots and military fatigues and with a
35-pound pack on his back to commemorate the Bataan Death March - Johnson
says he doesn't use drugs, drink alcohol or even eat some sugar products.
He consistently says drugs are a "bad choice." "I'm not pro-drug here. I'm
against drugs," he told the libertarian Cato Institute on Tuesday.

Johnson, an unusually candid politician, has acknowledged using marijuana
and cocaine in the 1970s.

It was "by the good graces of God I didn't get arrested," Johnson said in
August on the Newshour with Jim Lehrer. "I wasn't charged with a felony for
being one of the 78 million Americans who have used illegal drugs. And I
think that's the hypocrisy of our drug policies that we have today, that
we're not reducing drug use, that we're putting a lot of people in jail."

"Control it, regulate it, tax it," Johnson told the Cato Institute."If you
legalize it we might actually have a healthier society."

Previously, Johnson had focused on decriminalization rather than
legalization. But in recent weeks, he has come to believe that
decriminalization would not eliminate the black market in drugs and that
legalization would allow the government more control.

Indeed, in a clever soundbite, Johnson said: "Let the government regulate
it, grow it, manufacture it, distribute it and market it. If that doesn't
lead to a reduction in drug use, then I don't know what will."

The jab at government aside, Johnson advocates strict controls on drugs and
suggests that heroin and cocaine should be available only through a
doctor's prescription. "The more dangerous the perception of the drug, the
more control there would be."

Johnson's are thoughtful words, made all the more compelling because of his
honesty in admitting his own past experience. And while this newspaper
wants to hear more from the experts before deciding whether to support drug
legalization, we are convinced that it is time for a full, open, national
debate on drug legalization. By bringing the issue to the front, Johnson
has provided an important public service.