PROSTITUTION BECOMES ISSUE IN MINN.

ST. PAUL (AP) -- Gubernatorial candidate Jesse Ventura said Thursday that
his musings about legalizing prostitution show he has ``the courage to
admit'' that the present system doesn't work.

The day earlier, the Reform Party candidate said Minnesota should consider
controlling prostitution by legalizing it, perhaps in certain areas like
Amsterdam does with its red-light district.

On Thursday, the former professional wrestler said he would ``absolutely
not'' support legalization but reiterated that Minnesota should consider
new ways to solve prostitution and drug use.

``We should learn from history. Prohibition was a failure,'' Ventura said.
``I'm the only gubernatorial candidate with the courage to admit that our
wars against drugs and prostitution have failed.''

State Public Safety Commissioner Don Davis agreed that law enforcement
officials have been unable to wipe out prostitution, but he called the idea
of legalization ludicrous.

``From the perspective of public morality, from the perspective of public
safety, from the perspective of many, many women who've been victimized by
this crime, I'm offended,'' said Davis, who was police chief in Brooklyn
Park for 18 years, including Ventura's 1991-95 term as mayor of that
Minneapolis suburb.

Ventura's opponents, Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Hubert Humphrey
III have both criticized his prostitution comments.

But Ventura's campaign spokeswoman, Gerry Drewry, said the campaign was
getting positive reaction from voters. ``I haven't had a single negative
call,'' Drewry said.

Though a third-party candidate, Ventura's support in the latest media poll
this week had doubled to 21 percent and pulled him much closer to the
leaders. Humphrey and Coleman drew 35 and 34 percent in the latest poll, a
dead heat because of the margin of sampling error.

Checked-by: Joel W. Johnson