Indeed, Romley would have been softer on drugs than outgoing Democratic administration czar General Barry McCaffrey.
He does not oppose medical marijuana as long as it's approved by the FDA "with good science." On this point, he is in agreement with Maricopa County's other ball-busting drug warrior, Joe Arpaio.
Dan Huff
Dr. Jeffrey Singer has led the fight for medical marijuana in Arizona.
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"If the science is there, fine," Arpaio says.
Basically, it's the new compassionate conservative thing.
And both say that, if Arizonans or Americans want pot legalized, they will go along with the will of the people. All they want, they say, is a fair and open debate in which they can detail the varied problems that would come with legalization.
"Legalization of marijuana is the issue, and it's a fair issue," Romley says. "But call it what it is and let's debate it."
Instead, the debate next year will probably frame up more in shades of gray than the black and white of the Reagan era. Initiative proponents will say the War on Drugs, particularly on pot, is a failure. Give it up. Initiative opponents will say the War on Drugs, particularly on pot, is a failure. Make it better.
After Arizona and California in 1996, Sperling, Vagenas and other reformers say they focused on victories in the other western states.
With a strong base now built in the West, and national poll numbers swinging in their favor, Vagenas, Sperling and others figured the movement was strong enough to begin moving into the biggest Southern and Midwestern states with favorable initiative processes.
Florida should be the rowdiest battleground of 2002, particularly with a Jeb Bush/Janet Reno governor's race taking shape.
In Florida, signatures have been collected to put a drug policy-reform initiative on the ballot. The Florida Supreme Court must now approve the initiative for the 2002 ballot.
Good money is with Vagenas, Sperling and their deep pockets and momentum.
Romley, though, says prosecutors, law enforcement officials and anti-drug crusaders will be mobilizing soon in Florida. Romley just returned from a meeting in Florida of the Drug-Free America Foundation, of which he's a board member. His group and others will be trying to unify the state's police and prosecutors while, at the same time, looking for big-money backers like the pro-reformers have in Sperling and billionaire George Soros.
"The hot spot will be Florida," Romley says. "That's where we'll be telling people about our Arizona Experience."
Vagenas also will be talking about Arizona's drug reforms -- in a positive light. Any negatives, he says, have come from reforms being handcuffed by others.
If the voters will it, those handcuffs in Arizona will probably come off in 2004.
But Romley, Arpaio, the DEA and Customs will be ready when the drug-reform initiatives return to Arizona.
"This is going to be a huge issue for the next several years," Romley says. "We've got to be ready to get the truth out to voters."
"We wouldn't be having success if people didn't fundamentally realize the emperor has no clothes," Vagenas says. "We believe the state initiative victories will translate into state legislative victories, and those state victories will translate into a reorientation of national policy. At that point, we'll be able to have a legitimate national discussion on what to do with the failed War on Drugs."
