Source: Seattle Times Contact: Pubdate: Thu, 6 Nov 1997 Marijuana issue may get hearing in Legislature by David Postman and Kery Murakami Seattle Times Olympia bureau Despite the crushing defeat of a measure that would have loosened state drug laws, legislators say they may attempt to legalize medicinal marijuana next year. "The initiative went down because it was too broad," said Sen. Alex Deccio, RYakima, chairman of the Senate Health and LongTerm Care Committee. "I think we should look at a very narrowly drawn bill." Deccio opposed the initiative. But he said he would hold hearings on a medical marijuana bill because the drug could help terminally ill patients in their final days. "I'd rather we looked at a tightly drawn marijuana bill rather than looking at assisted suicide." Deccio supported an experimental medicinal marijuana program in the state in 1976. He said his support grew out of his daughter's painful death to Hodgkin's disease. There may be bipartisan support in the Senate for such a bill, and Seattle Sen. Jeanne Kohl, a Democrat, said she may sponsor the measure. But there are still plenty of skeptics in the Legislature. Rep. Bill Backlund, RRedmond, vice chairman of the House Health Care Committee, said he doubted there would be support for legalizing medicinal marijuana. "I think people had their say on that," he said. Tuesday night, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, the leading opponent of I685, said he thought it was worth at least talking about a medicinal marijuana bill which initiative supporters took as a positive sign. "He invited me to be a part of that process," I685 sponsor Rob Killian said of a latenight conversation with Owen. With the defeat of all five initiatives on the ballot, many are wondering how lawmakers will read the vote. Robert Larimer, leading opponent of an antidiscrimination initiative for gays and lesbians, said the easy defeat of that measure should convince the Legislature to pass a law banning gay marriage. But Jan Bianchi, executive director of the gay rights group Hands Off Washington, asserted the vote said nothing about Washington's attitudes toward gay rights, instead blaming the defeat on the heavy turnout of gunrights supporters, who also tended to oppose the gayrights measure. Because backers of Tuesday's initiatives turned to the voters only after being stymied by the Legislature, it's unlikely they'll have any more success persuading lawmakers to expand gay rights, increase coverage of chiropractic care, or require trigger locks. Rather, they are turning their attention next to electing friends to office in next year's legislative elections. "We're going to have to mobilize to get progressive people in office," Bianchi said. Guninitiative supporters say they will go back to the Legislature next year to seek a safestorage bill and also will begin using a new politicalaction committee to support legislators and candidates who favor gun control. Even before Tuesday's defeat of I685, it had been difficult for Kohl to find support for medicinal marijuana. When her fellow Democrats ran the Senate in 1996, she couldn't get a hearing in the Health Care Committee on a bill to allow for a study. She eventually got money for two studies. A petition is circulating for an initiative to the Legislature to legalize marijuana for medicine and recreational use for people older than 21. But its sponsor, Thomas Rohan, conceded defeat yesterday, two months before the deadline for turning in signatures. "We don't have a realistic chance," Rohan said. The initiative would have gone much further than what Kohl is talking about. I197 would have allowed marijuana to be grown, sold and used in places where minors were not allowed. Dope could be advertised and would be taxed. Rohan said he was criticized by some in the legalization movement for such a broad approach. "We figured if we went for medical only we'd get bashed for the others anyway," Rohan said. David Postman's phone message number is 3609439882. His email address is: Kery Murakami's phone message number is 2064642775. His email address is: