After emphasizing his initial message -- "don't do drugs" -- Republican Governor Gary Johnson of New Mexico spoke passionately to a large audience of his opinions on the drug war and related legislation, using arguments that promoted drug legalization.
Johnson said that in spite of the current publicity campaign advertising the negative effects of drugs, "Fifty-four percent of the graduating class of 2000 used illegal drugs."
Johnson advocated a more honest message that would include education about the positive medical uses of drugs and their actual consequences.
He said that by prohibiting drugs, health officials lose control over the quality of the drugs, and it becomes impossible to administer a beneficial dose for medical reasons.
"I was shocked to find that only 10,000 people die from their use of cocaine and heroin," Johnson said, adding that there have been no deaths from marijuana use. "Those 10,000 deaths are due to prohibition, because you can't control quality or quantity."
"All illicit drug use has its basis in benefit. Ecstasy was patented by Merck in 1912," Johnson said.
According to Johnson, half of the tax money spent on law enforcement and prisons is spent on drug-related convictions.
"We need to put this money into education and treatment, not prison," Johnson said. "We are taking violent criminals out of prisons to make room for drug users."
In response to the argument that drug use would rise if it were legalized, Johnson referred to the Prohibition of the 1920s several times during his speech.
"No matter what the story is, it is always worse because of prohibition," Johnson said.
Johnson presented himself as a model, saying "I don't do sugar, I don't do caffeine. It's not a good thing."
But that is not the way it has always been. "I've done them all, I've smoked my share of pot ... it's mind-expanding ... but now I am on a natural high with none of these substances and exercise."
He emphasized, however, that this was his own personal choice. "If you are not doing harm to anybody but yourself, so be it," he said, pointing out that even if drug use were legal, it would still be "illegal to harm someone else or put yourself in the position to harm someone else."
"We need to look at death, disease and crime -- is it up or down? That is where the measure should be on drugs as well as alcohol," Johnson said.
Johnson also addressed the argument that marijuana is a "gateway drug," and the common belief that if it is legalized, increased use of "harder" drugs will ensue.
"That's like saying milk leads to alcoholism," Johnson said. He noted that statistics disprove this argument.
Johnson brought the issue even closer to home for many students, citing a "Drug-Free Student Aid" provision of the Higher Education Act passed in 1998. This section added a question to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid asking students if they had ever been convicted of violating state or federal drug laws.
A "yes" answer to this question causes the student to be ineligible for federal financial aid.
According to Johnson, "you will be denied student loans if you have been convicted of drug use, but you would get a loan if you had committed a violent crime or even murder."
The Dartmouth Greens, the Dartmouth Libertarians and the Young Democrats sponsored Johnson's presentation, but he was not supported by the campus chapter of his own party, the College Republicans. His stance on drugs does not concur with the Republican Party's platform.
