MARTINEZ is formerly the governor of the state of Florida, and he just lost his attempt to win a second term by a large margin. His campaign manager was one of the President's sons. (In other words, he was appointed because he is a friend of the President and he was looking for a job.) Based on his behavior as Governor of Florida - and the fact that he was appointed by Bush - there is little hope of any change in policy from that of William Bennett, except that the new Drug Czar will probably not attract as much attention.

Martinez (his grandparents immigrated from Spain) was a high school teacher, president of the teachers union in Tampa, Florida, and then Mayor of Tampa. He was elected Governor in 1986. Although he had a reputation for being "tough" on drugs, and managed to pass tougher sentencing and drug-testing laws (see below) he spent most of his four years as Governor arguing with his State Legislature because they refused to pass many of his proposed laws. He brought the Legislature back to the state capitol when they were on vacation in 1989 to pass an anti-abortion law. All five of his proposed abortion laws were defeated "in committee" (they were not even brought up for consideration by the entire Legislature, only by a committee of legislators who consider proposed health laws.) He lost the election primarily because the voters thought he had no political courage; he reversed himself on several local issues that he had taken specific and controversial positions on. He also had underestimated the support for aborti

on in his state.

A Florida Congresswoman said of Martinez, "He has no administrative skills. He comes across as a nice guy, but not as a dynamic leader. There's no charisma. He doesn't capture people's imagination."

His appointment is generally considered to be political; he is not thought by anyone outside his own Administration to be a good manager or administrator. The Miami Herald (the largest newspaper in Florida) said he was not "the ideal choice" for the job. He is also considered to be quieter and less likely to perform for the media than Bennett. Since the position of National Director of Drug Policy (the "Drug Czar") does not carry with it any real responsibility, and no direct control over money, and since his style is not to hold many press conferences or make dramatic public appearances, he may not be able to make much of an impact. The Bush Administration may have appointed him because he is not like Bennett - they may want an appointment that appears to be tough, but will actually stay in the background and not attract much attention. They appointed him with very little publicity - they didn't even issue any public statements about their motivation for appointing him until the press started asking questio

ns about why they chose him. If the President wants to move the "Drug War" back onto the front pages (for example if his approval ratings for the Persian Gulf Crisis go down) then they can get someone new or make him take a prominent role. But for the time being the "Drug Crisis" is not as important to the Bush Administration as it was last year. Since Martinez was appointed we cannot think of a single thing he has said or done. Bennett was very visible and was constantly in the newspapers and on television.

GOVERNOR MARTINEZ

As Governor, Martinez did virtually nothing to increase drug treatment programs, and his entire drug program was focused on law enforcement. The only new treatment slots in Florida during Martinez' administration were entirely funded with federal (U.S. Government) funds. He also succeeded in getting tougher sentencing laws passed (although many of the harshest were passed before he was Governor).

In 1980, 8% of all the prisoners in the Florida state prison system were convicted of drug-related offenses. In 1990 - after four years of Martinez as governor (and six years of his predecessor Bob Graham, who is now a U.S. Senator) - the number has gone up to one-third. Moreover, total prison admissions in the same period have risen 170%. Space for 20,000 more inmates (doubling capacity) was constructed while he was Governor. There has been no appreciable decrease in drug-related crimes during that time.

According to the state, there are only 100,000 treatment slots for an estimated 475,000 who are in need of drug treatment. Of course, the only relatively reliable number in this is the 100,000 treatment slots. The 475,000 may have no bearing on reality, since we don't know how many people actually use illegal drugs, nor do we know how many of those need or are interested in drug treatment.

DRUG TESTING

Martinez is a big believer in drug-testing as a solution for a large number of problems. His primary distinction as governor is that he is the first American governor to voluntarily give a urine sample. The sample presumably came back clean.

Martinez proposed mandatory urine testing for anyone applying for a Florida driver's license, and a twenty-five dollar fee to cover the cost. The legislature refused to adopt this proposal. But, the Florida legislature did pass his Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1989 which requires pre-employment testing of all prospective state employees in "special risk and safety sensitive positions," and testing for any employee who exhibits signs of impairment. After the legislature refused in 1990 to extend mandatory testing to all new state employees and for all current police officers and firefighters and for all the top state bureaucrats, Martinez decided that all executive branch employees (that is, all state employees who don't work for the courts or legislature) are "safety-sensitive," and therefore subject to urine testing for drugs (in other words he got what he wanted even though the State Legislature didn't approve).

He has recommended that all private businesses in Florida start drug-testing programs for their employees. And to encourage them, if they institute a drug-testing program their workers' compensation fees will be reduced (workers' compensation is a form of insurance, managed by the state, into which employers pay fees so that workers can have their medical bills paid if they are injured when they are working). Finally, any citizen of the State of Florida who tests positive for illicit drug consumption now forfeits her or his workers' compensation benefits.

ETHICS

Martinez has also been a supporter of abandoning the urine-based test in favor of a test which examines metabolites in human hair. It was later learned that one of his largest campaign contributors was a company which has heavily invested in the hair-testing technology.

DEATH PENALTY

Under Martinez, the death penalty now applies to "drug kingpins," which means that one who sells illegal drugs and exhibits "a reckless disregard for human life," can be sentenced to death. This law went into effect in 1990. According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, had this law been in effect in 1989, there would have been an additional 41 persons sentenced to death in Florida - the state which has more people on death row than all of the other 49 states combined.

MILITARY

Martinez once called out the state militia for a month to patrol the shoreline and search for drug smugglers, and often stresses the importance of using the military in the war against drugs.

COURTS

Martinez has called for limits on defendant's rights to see government files to prepare for trial, an end to plea-bargaining in drug cases, and an end to the issuing of any licenses - including driver's licenses - to anyone convicted of a drug crime.

CONCLUSION

Martinez, who twice blocked a two-cent tax on beer which would have funded drug treatment programs, will not furnish us with any surprises, except perhaps as to the extent of his cruelty. Expect more of the same irrational and punitive policies - and a virtual blindness to any of the dangers of legal drugs, or the possible medical uses of illegal drugs. Martinez' appointment is in a sense meaningless to those engaged in the fight for better treatment for drug users and reform of drug laws - the terms of battle are the same.

POSTSCRIPT

William Bennett, the former drug czar, left his job to become the head of the Republican Party. Days later, he said that he had decided not to take the job because it didn't pay enough money. He now plans to go on a national speaking tour, and we believe that he is planning to run for the Senate, or perhaps the Vice Presidency if Bush decides to send Dan Quayle on a golf tour in 1992.