Gov. Gary Johnson of New Mexico said drugs, particularly marijuana, should be legalized during a speech last night at Harvard Medical School.
He also said the war on drugs has failed.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results,” Johnson said. “I think the biggest problem is the drug war. The war on drugs, we continue to do the same thing. Seventy-four percent of the people agree that the war on drugs is a miserable failure.”
According to Johnson, many people have done drugs and continue to use them.
“Eighty million Americans have used illegal drugs. Fifty-four percent of high school students of the 2000 graduating class have taken drugs,” Johnson said.
However, the number of people that die due to overdose is minimal compared to those who die of tobacco and alcohol related deaths, Johnson said.
According to the tobacco industry, 450,000 people die every year because of tobacco; 150,000 people die because of alcohol, and 100,000 people die because of prescription drugs, Johnson said.
“Eight to 10,000 die every year from heroin or cocaine. I was shocked to find out the number was so low.”
“No one is dying of marijuana. The American Medical Association two weeks ago stated the crack-cocaine baby theory is a myth,” Johnson said. “Apparently drugs don’t have a greater impact on fetuses than drinking or smoking.”
He also said drug laws in the United States are discriminatory, stating 800,000 are arrested for marijuana and half of those arrested are Hispanic.
Johnson’s plans involve two strategies. He said marijuana should be legalized and harm resulting from drugs should be reduced.
“It will never be legal to smoke pot and get in a car or commit a crime just like it will never be legal to sell drugs to children,” Johnson said. “Drinking in a bar is OK, but getting in a car afterwards is illegal and always will be illegal.
“We need to control, we need to regulate, and we need to tax these products. Our current drug strategy is to reduce use. It’s a flawed strategy. If alcohol use went up 3 percent in Boston, you wouldn’t care, but you would think is DWI up? Are health risks increasing?”
Johnson also believes legalizing drugs would greatly reduce the price, since marijuana now “sells for more than gold — 300 dollars an ounce.”
Johnson has tried to pass 12 laws, such as the ability to sell syringes in drug stores. Some, like medical marijuana legislation and controlled substance reform in which the first two offenses are not criminal, failed.
Even if the legislation is passed, the federal government can still enforce drug laws, Johnson said.
“Their belief is that if you do drugs of any kind, whatsoever, you need rehabilitation, and there’s something wrong with you,” he said.
Johnson believes many of the crimes arising from drugs are due to prohibition.
“Prohibition makes the problem worse in almost every instance,” he said.
“Choosing to smoke pot [for some] is like others having a cocktail for dinner. It is not doing harm to anyone else but themselves,” Johnson said.
Although Johnson is against the prohibition of drugs, he stated several times: “Don’t Do Drugs; Don’t Drink.” That is and always will be his message to kids, he said. He added he is not in support of advertisements promoting marijuana as beneficial.
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