cannabisnews.com: Governor Keeps Up Drug-Reform Crusade Governor Keeps Up Drug-Reform Crusade Posted by FoM on April 01, 2001 at 09:00:48 PT By Steve Terrell, The New Mexican Source: Santa Fe New Mexican Despite the fact that the state Legislature didn't pass most of Gov. Gary Johnson's drug-law reform package, Johnson on Wednesday continued his fight for liberalizing drug laws. The governor's office announced that Johnson had filed a ``friend of the court'' brief in the United States vs. Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperative case before the U.S. Supreme Court, arguing for the legal use of marijuana to treat certain medical conditions. Johnson also appeared Wednesday on yet another national television show to talk about drug laws. This time he was questioned by TV interviewer Mike Barnicle on the MSNBC cable network in a spirited segment in which both the governor and Barnicle raised their voices.Barnicle told viewers that he was leery about liberalizing drug laws because he has seven kids. Replied Johnson, ``You're burying your head in the sand if you don't know that statistically four out of your seven kids are gonna do illegal drugs.''Barnicle loudly denied that. ``No! No! None of my kids are gonna do illegal drugs!''Then Johnson asked, ``And really, Mike, aren't you most afraid of them doing illegal drugs because of the prohibition against drugs and it will go on their record and they might end up in prison and all of that?''Barnicle said that wasn't true.At one point during the interview, Johnson put his thumb to his nose with his fingers splayed to demonstrate the attitude of many young people toward drug laws in general.After the interview, in which the governor participated by remote from the state Capitol, Johnson told local reporters, ``He really is sticking his head in the sand if he doesn't think most his kids will try drugs.''In the brief filed with the Supreme Court - which heard arguments Wednesday in the medical-marijuana case - Johnson argued that marijuana is a states' rights issue.Friend-of-the-court briefs are filed by persons not directly involved in a case, but who are interested in its outcome. The Oakland Cannabis Buyer's Cooperative was sued by the U.S. Department of Justice to try to stop the cooperative from distributing medical marijuana.Part of the legislative package the Johnson introduced in the recently completed session of the state Legislature called for establishing a program in the state Health Department to allow patients to use marijuana when recommended by their doctor. During hearings on the bills, some legislators pointed to the court appeal and said they were reluctant to pass a medical-marijuana bill in New Mexico before the high court renders a decision in the case.Each house of the Legislature passed its own medical-marijuana bill. However, neither bill was passed by both houses and, therefore, died.Johnson told reporters that he was excited that Patricio Martínez, governor of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, in a recent newspaper interview came out in favor of legalizing marijuana.In the interview, published in the Mexican newspaper El Universo, Martínez mentioned Johnson as an example of an American voice saying that the so-called War on Drugs has been lost.Johnson said he spoke with Martínez just days before the Mexican governor was shot in the neck in December.Their conversation came about a week after Mexican President Vicente Fox said he favored liberalizing drug laws.Source: Santa Fe New Mexican (NM)Author: Steve Terrell, The New Mexican Published: March 29, 2001 Copyright: 2001 The Santa Fe New MexicanContact: letters sfnewmexican.comWebsite: http://www.sfnewmexican.com/Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperativehttp://www.rxcbc.org/Governor Pushes Drug Policy Reform http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9232.shtmlTracking The Supremes on Medical Marijuana http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9212.shtmlCannabisNews Medical Marijuana Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/medical.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by sm247 on April 01, 2001 at 19:11:10 PT Can you say President Johnson ?? Gov. Johnson should run for the next presidency he sure has my vote. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by kaptinemo on April 01, 2001 at 14:17:31 PT: When your head's in the sand... your ass is in the air. And fair game for anyone who wants to kick it."Barnicle told viewers that he was leery about liberalizing drug laws because he has seven kids. Replied Johnson, ``You're burying your head in the sand if you don't know that statistically four out of your seven kids are gonna do illegal drugs.''Barnicle loudly denied that. ``No! No! None of my kids are gonna do illegal drugs!''And how does Mr. Barnicle propose to prevent them from doing so? Are his resources so huge that he can afford 24 hour surveillance of his children, wherever they go? Does he have private investigators doing background checks on the parents of his children's friends? Does he operate his very own piss-test laboratory?Considering that he almost certainly cannot prevent his children from trying legal drugs, how does he suppose he will be able to preclude them from trying the illegal ones?Proper education, not knee-jerk hysteria, is the only way to convince kids of the repercussions of their life choices. My parents were brutally blunt with me, about both legal and illegal drugs. I've only touched alcohol once, just to taste it, and was so revolted by it that I never tried it again. I didn't use cannabis until I was in my 30's, and that through desperation. But at least my parents hadn't lied to me about it. As I have no doubt Mr. Barnicle almost certainly will to his children. And like so many 'good' parents, will wonder why his children are being so furtive about where they go and what they do...and who they are with.Ignorance can exact a terrible price. But honest ignorance can be cured fairly easily. It's the willful ignorance displayed by Mr. Barnicle that can prove to be most painful.He must wonder why his backside hurts so much. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by Jeaneous on April 01, 2001 at 13:27:04 PT: P.S. And our Attorney General, Bill Lockyer for his backing in his brief to the Supreme Court. He's sure trying to help medicinal users. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Jeaneous on April 01, 2001 at 13:25:08 PT: Luv this guy!! Gov. Johnson just keeps on going and going.... I love it that he speaks so truthfully. Hope it rubs off on some of the other politicians. Keep it up Gov!! [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: