Pubdate: Wed, 8 Oct 1997
Source: Associated Press

Drug Initiative in Washington State

By HUNTER T. GEORGE 
Associated Press Writer

TACOMA, Wash. (AP)  As Washington state voters prepare to decide whether
marijuana should be legalized for medical use, those who decried such
measures a year ago have been noticeably quiet.

Last fall, police, prosecutors and antidrug forces that included White
House drug policy chief Gen. Barry McCaffrey ran commercials and spoke out
against medical marijuana ballot questions in Arizona and California.

The initiatives  which both passed by wide margins  removed penalties
for possessing the drugs as long as they had been prescribed by doctors.

With Washington voters preparing to vote on the same issue Nov. 4, the
picture is different. No visits from McCaffrey, no lavish TV commercials,
no threats from Attorney General Janet Reno to go after doctors.

"I think McCaffrey has more or less been muzzled," said Betty Sembler, an
antidrug advocate from St. Petersburg, Fla., suggesting that the success
of last year's initiatives prompted opponents to tone down their tactics.

Apparently striking a compassionate chord with voters, the California
initiative eased restrictions on marijuana, while the one in Arizona also
included heroin, LSD and methamphetamines. But without the flurry of public
polling and rallies of last year, it's difficult to gauge the feeling of
Washington voters.

"This is a political statement that says, basically, if any drug has
medical benefit, it should be safely available for patients to use," said
Dr. Rob Killian, a Tacoma physician. "When you know there are some options
available but you can't use them, it's very frustrating."

Killian sponsored the initiative after seeing cancer patients, wracked with
nausea from chemotherapy, find relief from smoking marijuana. Medical
experts are divided on the benefits of marijuana, though a National
Institutes of Health report this summer concluded there is strong evidence
that the drug can help treat severe weight loss, nausea and glaucoma.

All has not been smooth for the new laws.

Arizona lawmakers gutted the measure this spring, requiring federal
approval before doctors can prescribe illegal drugs. California prosecutors
have asked a state appeals court to ban cannabis clubs, though police have
been told to lay off of people with a small amount of marijuana who have a
doctor's prescription.

Washington's initiative is modeled after Arizona's, making legal the
possession of marijuana, heroin and LSD by seriously ill people who can
meet two conditions  patients need a written OK by two doctors and the
physicians must cite scientific research supporting use of the drugs.

The proposal also would require treatment instead of prison for those
convicted of nonviolent drug crimes. An estimated 300 inmates serving time
for drug possession could be released if the measure passes.

The Washington State Medical Association and other opponents note that the
initiative campaign has been paid for largely by outofstate money.

"Dr. Killian has become a pawn for the millionaires who want to change our
national drug policy," said Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, a longtime drug opponent.
"We're battling millions of dollars in money being spent trying to convince
America that marijuana not only isn't bad, but it's good for you."