(NORML Newsletter)
letters@norml.org
Date: Wed, Oct 20, 1999, 12:40pm (PDT+3)
October 1999
http://www.norml.org
Show Your Support For
NM's Gov. Johnson
Republican Governor Gary Johnson of New
Mexico has recently spoken out about his
belief that the war on drugs has been a
failure, and he has proposed the legalization
of marijuana. His willingness to challenge
the establishment, especially the leadership
of his own political party, has stimulated a
growing national debate on marijuana policy
that was long overdue, and broken the myth of
consensus -- that all responsible elected
officials support marijuana prohibition.
Interestingly, when Governor Johnson was
first a candidate for governor, he publicly
acknowledged that he had smoked marijuana,
and that he had also experimented with
cocaine. The voters of New Mexico apparently
felt his prior drug use was unimportant, as
they elected him to two successive terms as
their governor. Governor Johnson is currently
a tri-athlete who runs several miles each
day, and avoids all drug use.
Here is a sample of
some of the things Governor Johnson has said
on the subject:
"The nation's so-called War on Drugs has been
a miserable failure. It hasn't worked. The
drug problem is getting worse. I think it is
the number one problem facing this country
today . . . We really need to put all the
options on the table . . . and one of the
things that's going to get talked about is
decriminalization . . . What I'm trying to do
here is launch discussion."
-- Gov. Gary Johnson, June 23, 1999
"Common sense or logic would dictate that
when you take this issue on, when you talk
about legalization or decriminalization, if
you are going to talk about that, you are
going to talk about taking it in steps, and
certainly the first step would be marijuana."
"All of us can make a list out of friends
that have used drugs. Are our friends
criminals for using drugs? Yes, they are
today given the laws that we have. Should
they be criminals? Are they criminals? For
the most part, no they are not."
-- Gov. Gary Johnson, June 30, 1999
"I'm not advocating breaking the law, but
personally, I don't think you should go to
jail for smoking marijuana." -- Gov. Gary
Johnson, August 11, 1999
"I think 75 percent of the people in this
country would say, no, you shouldn't go to
jail for smoking marijuana."
"Under the right circumstances . . . I along
with tens of millions of other Americans --
we're behind bars."
"I'm raising the issues that need to be
raised. This is good politics. This is the
job I was hired to do." -- Gov. Gary Johnson,
on MSNBC, August 15, 1999
"I'm going to enforce the laws that we have.
But I think the laws need to be changed and
I'm going to work within the system to change
the law. We're spending more and we're
locking more people up . . . Personally, I
have a fundamental problem with putting
people in jail for drug use. What I've done
since I've been in office is I have just done
a cost-benefit analysis of everything that's
come across my desk . . . And right now, the
glaring cost-benefit analysis that has
incredible cost and no benefit is our war on
drugs."
It is important that Gov. Gary Johnson hear
from people from all across America who
appreciate his willingness to take on this
issue in an honest and forthright manner,
when so many of his colleagues lack the
political courage to deal with marijuana
policy honestly. The governor understands
that marijuana smokers should not be treated
like criminals and he has the courage to say
so, despite great pressure from the Drug Czar
and others to follow the party line.
Please contact Governor Johnson now,
either via e-mail gov@gov.state.nm.us, or
by writing him at the following address:
Governor Gary Johnson, State of New Mexico,
State Capitol, Room 400 Santa Fe, NM 87503
_____________________________________________
Support NORML's efforts to change marijuana
policy and educate the public to alternatives
to marijuana prohibition.
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