Source: Glendale News-Press Leader (CA)
Contact: FAX: 818-241-1975
Pubdate: Fri, 3 Apr 1998
Author: Jacqueline Fox

ROGAN AT CENTER OF MEDICINAL MARIJUANA CONTROVERSY

GLENDALE - It was never supposed to go this far. That's the sentiment
expressed by Congressman Jim Rogan Thursday, a Republican who represents
Glendale, on the growing controversy over his stand on the medicinal use of
marijuana.

Rogan first came under fire after voting March 4 to support a House
resolution that states marijuana "is a dangerous and addictive drug and
should not be legalized for medicinal use."

The "sense of Congress resolution" carries no legal weight but instead
helps gauge support for future legislation on the issue.

Before voting on the resolution, Rogan spoke about a cousin, who in 1980
was diagnosed with cancer. In transcripts from remarks made in front of the
Judiciary Committee ~ to which Rogan was recently named ~ Rogan said his
cousin's use of marijuana for treatment "had everything to do with him
being able to get out of bed, eat, go to work and be productive for another
decade."

Rogan said his support of the House resolution is consistent with his
earlier approval of a medicinal marijuana bill during his stay in the state
Assembly.

But on Monday, several demonstrators gathered outside his Washington, D.C.
office to protest what they said is a blatant "flip-flop" on the issue.
During the protest, Cheryl Miller, a 51-year-old woman who suffers from
multiple sclerosis, and her husband, Jim Miller, 45, were arrested after
Cheryl allegedly ate marijuana in Rogan's office.

The Millers, from Silverton, N.J., were arrested by Capitol Police on
suspicion of possession of marijuana and later released. They are scheduled
to go before a Washington judge next month, according to Capitol Police
Sgt. David Nichols. In Washington, it is a criminal offense to possess any
amount of marijuana, Nichols said.

The demonstration was coordinated by the Marijuana Policy Project, a
D.C.-based advocacy group started in 1995. However, Robert Kampia, the
group's co-founder and director of government relations, said the idea to
protest at Rogan's office was the Millers' alone.

"Rogan said his support for medicinal marijuana and his support for this
bill is consistent," Kampia said. "But we say it is completely
inconsistent. In D.C. he voted for a resolution that says marijuana has
absolutely no medical value. It is the exact opposite of what he voted on
in 1995. You can't have it both ways."

But Rogan insists he never changed his stand on the issue. He said the
resolution he was voting on was merely an opinion, adding that, when he
spoke about his cousin, he, too was merely giving his opinion.

"I was told the resolution was just Congress expressing its point of view,"
Rogan said Thursday.

Rogan said he has always supported the use of medicinal marijuana for
limited purposes only, such as treating the terminally ill, alleviating
nausea and vomiting associated with chemotherapy, and possibly for patients
suffering from glaucoma. But he stresses he does not support full
legalization of marijuana, and said he would only support a medicinal
marijuana bill if it specified limited use of the drug for certain cases
and included stringent regulations over who could administer it.

"If this had been a bill I would have sought permission to draft an
amendment to it," Rogan said. "I would vote today if a bill said marijuana
would be prescribed by a doctor for terminally ill patients for legitimate
reasons. But I don't want to see it prescribed for headaches or
toothaches."

Rogan said members of Congress are not required to vote on a resolution to
speak on it, and said he could have abstained from voting altogether. He
voted on the resolution on his first day meeting with the committee. "This
was not a bill at all. It's an opinion piece," Rogan said.

Rogan said the Millers and he sat down in his office before their arrest to
discuss the issue. "I told them, `I don't know what you were told about my
position,' and told them what my position was," Rogan said. "And Mr. Miller
told me that that was not what he was told. When he heard the facts, he was
apologetic."

In a telephone interview, Jim Miller said he "felt much better" about the
issue after speaking with Rogan.

Demonstrators also gathered at Rogan's Pasadena office Monday; however, no
one was arrested, said Jeff Lennan, a spokesman for Rogan's office.