Libertarian VP hopeful visits UNC

In a speech Tuesday, Jim Gray, a Libertarian vice-presidential candidate, said the time has come for a third party to occupy the White House.

Gray, who spoke to about 15 attendees in the Student Union, is the running mate of presidential candidate Gary Johnson.

He said a Libertarian presidency would achieve two things: decrease the federal government’s control, and restore civil liberties.

“We are in the mainstream of American political thought today,” Gray said. “We are both financially responsible and socially tolerant. And we’re the only ones that are.”

Gray’s speech focused almost exclusively on drug policy reform.

A longtime advocate of decriminalizing narcotics, Gray, who served as a superior court judge in Orange Country, Calif., has worked in his home state and across the country to end the “war on drugs.”

Gray said he would like to see drugs regulated like wine is now — legal to produce and consume on private property, taxed when sold, and prohibited from sale to minors.

Current policy has only succeeded in creating a black market for drugs that benefits select groups, including drug dealers, juvenile gangs and private-sector industries that make money off of increased crime rates, Gray said.

“You cannot repeal the law of supply and demand,” he said, adding that people will find a way to obtain drugs whether they are legal or not.

Gray points to programs in other countries, such as Germany and Switzerland, that focus on reducing the harm caused by drugs by treating drug use as a medical problem.

“Let’s manage these problems instead of moralizing them,” Gray said.

He said he does not condone drug use and has never used an illicit substance.

Junior Emerson Jones, who was at the event, said she is a “stark Libertarian.”

But Jones said she hasn’t decided who to vote for yet, adding that she wants to vote strategically.

Convincing voters like Jones that their votes will not be wasted is one of the biggest challenges for Gray and Johnson’s campaign.

The Libertarian party is likely to appear on ballots in all 50 states in November, but a third-party candidate has never won the presidency.

Gray said this campaign is different because Johnson has experience as a former Republican governor of New Mexico.

“If we can just get viability — if people can see us as a viable candidacy — we’ll win,” he said.

Freshman Zach Rachuba said he plans to vote for Johnson in November.

“Even if Johnson doesn’t have that much of a chance, he still represents my beliefs far better than the other two candidates.”

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