LAWMAKERS CHANGE MINDS ON MARIJUANA

SANTA FE -- Gov. Bill Richardson worked hard to change minds on a
medical marijuana bill he wants to sign into law.

Apparently he didn't change a single one - according to the
Democrats who did what he wanted and switched their votes from "no"
last week to "yes" on Tuesday.

The five lawmakers who changed all said that calls from and talks
with the governor or his staff played no role in their decisions.

"He talked to me, but he didn't actually change me - I changed on my
own," said Rep. Richard Vigil, a Democrat from Ribera.

Vigil said he changed his mind after being assured by supporters
that the measure would only allow marijuana use for medical purposes.

The House last week killed a similar bill 33-36. The Senate then
sent another medical marijuana measure, essentially the same as last
week's, to the House.

Tuesday's vote was 36-31.

Rep. Andrew Barreras said the Governor's Office asked about how he
would be voting, but didn't pressure him.

"All they asked me was how I was going to vote on it and why I was
going to vote," he said.

Barreras, a freshman Democrat from TomaE , said he talked to people
in his parish, his family and his constituents before deciding to
vote yes this time.

"I prayed about it a lot. I spoke with my wife and children," he
said. "If it's real stringent how they use it, then I think it might be OK."

Rep. Ernest Chavez, an Albuquerque Democrat, said he got an earful
from constituents after he voted against the bill last week.

"They said, 'You told us you were going to vote yes,'" he said. In
past years he has supported the idea, but was just temporarily
persuaded by opponents last week to vote no, he explained.

Chavez said he also met personally with the governor since the last
vote, and told him, when asked, that he would reconsider.

Rep. Mary Helen Garcia, a Democrat from Las Cruces, said Richardson
talked to her "but that wasn't the convincing factor."

"After careful consideration and talking to my family friends . . .
I was convinced to go ahead and change it," she said of her vote.

Rep. Thomas Garcia said he has spoken to people from the Governor's
Office on several issues recently, but couldn't recall any
conversations about the medical marijuana measure specifically.

"I may have spoken to someone in his office, but I'm not sure. I
don't want to commit to it because I don't know," he said.

Garcia, appointed by the governor to replace then-Rep. Hector
Balderas after Balderas won election as state auditor, said the
debate changed his mind.

"What came out of the debate was that first you have to get your
doctor to approve it and your doctor has to get eight other people
on this board to concur," said Garcia, a Democrat from OcataE .

The measure calls for a board to agree that a patient needs the
marijuana for medical purposes.

The measure, amended by the House, now goes back to the Senate for
consideration.

If the Senate passes the bill before the session ends Saturday at
noon, Richardson has indicated he will sign it.

Secretary of State's Office records show Richardson's 2006
gubernatorial campaign gave at least $500 in campaign contributions
to all but one of the Democrats who switched votes on the bill,
although the lawmakers said that didn't play a role in their votes.

Barreras received the most, including $8,305 in contributions and
in-kind donations.

He said that wasn't a factor in his decision.

"A lot of people helped me in my campaign," he said.

"Whoever helped me in my campaign, I made it clear, if you want to
help me, you help me, but I'm going up there to represent my constituents."

The Secretary of State's Web site had no campaign records for Thomas
Garcia, who was appointed after the election.

The House debated the measure for nearly three hours.

Rep. Antonio "Moe" Maestas, a Democrat from Albuquerque, presented
the bill in the Senate for sponsor Sen. Shannon Robinson, also a
Democrat from the Duke City.

He said the measure was about being compassionate to people
suffering the most from serious ailments, including cancer, AIDS and
multiple sclerosis.

Opponents argued that the bill would open up the door to large-scale
illegal drug use.

But Maestas said that wouldn't be the case.

"This is not recreational drugs, this is medical cannabis," he said.

Rep. Larry Larranaga, an Albuquerque Republican who opposes the
bill, offered an amendment accepted by the House that requires
places that are licensed to dispense the medical marijuana to be at
least 300 feet from a school.

The amendment means the bill goes back to the Senate for
consideration before it can go to Richardson.

Lawmakers crossed party lines to support the measure.

"It's the most unlikely coalition in the history of this body," Maestas said.