Pubdate: Wed, 29 Apr 1998 Source: Rocky Mountain News (CO) Contact: http://insidedenver.com/news/ Author: John Sanko Rocky Mountain News Capitol Bureau CAPITOL RALLY OPPOSES MARIJUANA BALLOT ISSUE Ex-Drug Czar Bennett Joins Protest, Says Pot Has No Medical Benefits Former U.S. drug czar Bill Bennett led a rally Tuesday to urge opposition to a November ballot proposal to legalize marijuana for "debilitating medical conditions." Joined at the Capitol by law officers, prosecutors and legislators, Bennett argued that the measure was nothing more than a foot in the door to legalize marijuana. "Although it's couched in terms of medical use, the eventual result will be increased drug use," said Bennett, whose comments on the Statehouse steps came only minutes after the Senate voted 29-3 for a resolution opposing "any effort to mandate in the Constitution of Colorado that marijuana be described as medicine." But opposition from the Senate and other opponents won't stop the measure from getting on the ballot, if Coloradoans for Medical Rights gets enough petition signatures to the Secretary of State's office. Group members Marty Chilcutt and Dr. Marshall Stiles III have taken steps for a ballot measure but have not collected the more than 55,000 signatures needed. The proposal -- which has also been criticized by those who want more broad-range uses of marijuana -- limits how much marijuana a person can possess and requires that a patient meet all criteria, including a physician's authorization. It could be used for conditions such as cancer, glaucoma, AIDS and other illnesses if a doctor declares it might benefit the patient. "I know some of the political people are opposed to it," Chilcutt said. "They need to talk to the patients -- the people that are using it medically. I've talked to patients with epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and cancer." Rally participants included State Treasurer Bill Owens and businessman Terry Walker, both Republican candidates for governor; District Attorneys Bill Ritter of Denver and Bob Grant of Arapahoe County; Arapahoe County Sheriff Pat Sullivan; House majority leader Norma Anderson, R-Lakewood; and Senate majority leader Jeff Wells, R-Colorado Springs. "Just say no to those petition pushers," Owens said. "We don't want to follow California's lead in legalizing pot." Bennett said marijuana "has never been scientifically demonstrated to provide medical relief from any medical condition -- at the very least no more relief than other licensed drugs that are much less prone to abuse." - ----------------------------------- NOTE: An accompanying photo shows 10-year-old Kathleen Paulsen holding a sign that says "Pot is not medicine." Not mentioned in the caption: Paulsen is the daughter of Chris Paulsen, a former legislator who is serving as a political consultant to the opposition campaign.