DRUG-LAW REFORM DISCUSSIONS HEAT UP IN LEGISLATURE

Some state Senate Democrats on Tuesday - including some of Gov. Gary
Johnson's allies in his controversial drug-law reform package - called for
Johnson to "put up or shut up" when it comes to money for drug treatment
programs.

"This is not a cheap proposition," Sen. Manny Aragon, D-Albuquerque said.
Aragon challenged Republican Johnson and drug-bill sponsors to "put your
money where your mouth is" and be "intellectually honest (about) a monetary
figure on what does it cost to treat heroin addicts."

Aragon noted there is no money in Johnson's budget proposal for
drug-treatment programs. The heroin problem was "the result of the neglect
of the government of New Mexico," Aragon added.

Aragon was spurred by Johnson's appearance on ABC's Nightline where he
talked about Rio Arriba County's heroin problem. His comments prompted
other senators to engage in an emotional prelude to this year's debate on
drug-law reform.

The Nightline segment focused on a recent program, ordered by the Johnson
administration, in Rio Arriba in which doctors can prescribe Narcan - a
medicine that can save the life of someone overdosing on heroin - to addicts.

The governor was interviewed by the show's longtime host Ted Koppel.
Although the program's thrust was about Narcan and the heroin problem,
Johnson spent much of his time talking about his proposal to decriminalize
small amounts of marijuana.

Senators on Tuesday presented a wide variety of conflicting views on
proposed drug-law changes.

"We've just had a warm-up without any bill being introduced," said Lt. Gov.
Walter Bradley after several senators spoke about drug-related proposals.
Normally such issues are not debated until a bill has been introduced in
the Legislature.

Sen. Roman Maes, D-Santa Fe, said Tuesday that he planned to introduce a
bill today to legalize marijuana for medicinal use for certain sufferers of
serious diseases.

Aragon, along with two Democratic senators who have agreed to sponsor some
of Johnson's drug bills - Roman Maes, D-Santa Fe and Cisco McSorley of
Albuquerque - called upon Johnson to commit substantial funds for drug
treatment programs.

McSorley, who served on a drug-advisory board whose report was
enthusiastically embraced by Johnson, said he will propose a bill to
appropriate $40 million for treatment programs - several times more than
what Johnson's aides have proposed.

"We can make a dent in this (drug-addiction) problem," McSorley said. "But
we can't do it without treatment money."

Dave Miller, Johnson's legislative liaison, reiterated what he said in an
interview last week that the administration would propose $5 million for
treatment of drug addicts.

This should be formalized and appear as a bill by the end of the week,
Miller said.

Miller said Johnson has already recommended a $1.6 million expansion of
drug-court programs that offer treatment to offenders rather than sending
them to prison. "About a third of drug court budgets go to treatment," he said.

McSorley's proposal for $40 million is unreasonable, Miller said. Johnson,
he said, is afraid that a huge appropriate for treatment, such as
McSorley's proposed $40 million would become "political pork."

Former Gov. Toney Anaya, a Democrat, who is one of two lobbyists for
Johnson's drug bills, agreed with Miller that $40 million for treatment was
too much for one year.

Anaya said his work has been made harder because many Democrats are
demanding money for treatment before they support other measures like drug
decriminalization.

Some senators who spoke Tuesday indicated that they are opposed to various
parts of Johnson's drug package.

Sen. Don Kidd, R-Carlsbad, questioned the effectiveness of drug treatment
and said the only way he would support a large amount of money for
treatment programs would be if there was another bill "for a 30-day death
sentence for anyone selling drugs."

Sen Joe Carraro, R-Albuquerque, agreed with Kidd. "People talk about a war
on drugs," he said. "That's a joke. We don't blockade our borders. We don't
sentence to death people who poison our kids."

However, Sen. Shannon Robinson, D-Albuquerque, argued, "We are in a war,"
noting the U.S. government's support of the government of Colombia in its
civil war against leftists allegedly involved in the cocaine trade.

Senate Majority Leader Tim Jennings, D-Roswell, noted that Johnson in the
past had vetoed bills that would have funded drug programs.

Majority Whip Mary Jane Garcia, D-Dona Ana, said, "Drug legalization? No. I
will never support that. Drug treatment, yes."

The only senator with kind words for Johnson was Sen. Allen Hurt,
R-Waterflow, who thanked the governor for starting the state discussion on
drugs. Hurt urged his colleagues to act with "the heart of a liberal and
the mind of a conservative."

At a news conference following the Senate debate, Maes and Rep. Joe
Thompson, R-Albuquerque, said they will introduce medical-marijuana
legislation today.

Thompson said he has not been able to find a co-sponsor for his bill,
although he believes the measure has enough support to pass the House. The
main hang-up he said is the issue of money for treatment programs.

Maes and McSorley predicted success for the bill despite disagreements over
treatment funds.

"Right now I'm sensing from both Democrats and Republicans that there is
enough support independently to get this bill through," McSorley said.

Lester Grinspoon, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical
School, appeared at the conference to support the medical-marijuana bills.
He said marijuana is an effective, non-toxic and inexpensive treatment for
several conditions, including the nausea caused by chemotherapy treatment
for cancer.

He said his own son, who died of leukemia, smoked marijuana for that
purpose. There are more than 30 conditions and syndromes for which
marijuana is an effective treatment, Grinspoon said.