Pubdate: Sun, 11 Oct 1998
Source: Oregonian, The (OR)
Contact:  http://www.oregonlive.com/
Author: Patrick O'Neill And Maxine Bernstein, Staff
Page 1, Column 1

VOTERS FAVOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

VOTER ALERT: Tuesday is the deadline to register to vote in the Nov. 3
election.

A statewide poll shows 59 percent support Measure 67 and 54 percent oppose
Measure 57, which would recriminalize possession of the drug

Most Oregon voters are comfortable with the idea of marijuana as medicine,
and a majority doesn't agree that possession of small amounts of marijuana
for recreational use should be a crime.

A statewide poll conducted for The Oregonian and KATU (2) shows voters
strongly favor Measure 67, which would legalize marijuana use by people with
certain diseases. A slightly smaller majority opposes Measure 57, which
would reinstitute criminal penalties for possession of less than an ounce of
marijuana.

"Oregon tends to be a more libertarian kind of state," said Rep. John
Minnis, R-Wood Village, one of Measure 57's sponsors. "I kind of think
Oregon is stuck in the '60s. There's an attitude of 'Leave me alone, let me
smoke my grass, let me do my own thing.' Until that changes, we probably
won't see much support for this."

In the poll, 59 percent of those surveyed said they would vote to legalize
medical marijuana, and 54 percent said they oppose the recriminalization
measure, which was passed by the Oregon Legislature last year and forced to
the Nov. 3 ballot after opponents started a signature-gathering campaign.

Since then, Measure 57's opponents have raised $637,000 to defeat it,
drawing large contributions from such wealthy benefactors as billionaire
George Soros and insurance magnate Peter Lewis of Ohio. They are opposed by
Multnomah County Sheriff Dan Noelle and an array of law enforcement backers
who have raised less than $300,000.

Oregon is one of five states this fall with medical marijuana measures on
the ballot. The campaigns are being coordinated by Americans for Medical
Rights, which heiped lead successful efforts to legalize medical marijuana
in California and Arizona.

The poll suggests there is broad support for use to control pain and nausea
from chronic or life-threatening illnesses. Measure 67 would set up a permit
system, requiring a doctor's written proof, that exempts patients with a
"debilitating medical condition" from prosecution under marijuana laws.

"Some people claim it helps them," said Clinton Tracy, a retired
heavy-equipment mechanic. "And you just about have to believe them if that's
what they say."

Although Tracy said he will vote for Measure 67, he said he remains
concerned that medical marijuana could be abused. "It has to he handled real
carefully," he said. "It should be controlled closely."

Greg Steward, a Beaverton accountant, said he is suspicious about what's
motivating the measure's supporters and will vote against it. "Most of the
people who were out petitioning for that make me a little suspect," he said.
"They looked like they were more likely to use this for recreational
purposes."

Steward said he thinks alternatives to marijuana -- such as Marlnol, a
prescription anti-nausea drug made from the active ingredient in
marijuana -- make it unnecessary to smoke marijuana to gain the same medical
benefit.

The survey found support for the measure in the Portland area and in the
Willamette Valley. The strongest opposition was in Eastern Oregon, where 62
percent of people polled said they would vote no.

Dr. Richard Bayer, a Portland internist and a chief petitioner for Measure
67, said the poll shows that "Oregon voters are realizing that this is a
health issue, as much as our opponents are trying to spin this as a law
enforcement issue."

But Noelle charged that while the proponents cast the issue in a medical
light, "long term, this isn't about medicine or compassion .... This is
about legalizing marijuana and ultimately about legalizing drugs."

"This measure will effectively end law enforcement's and prosecution's
ability to deal with (marijuana-growing) operations," he said.

Opponents of Measure 57 say that it won't deter marijuana use and that it
will divert money away from treatment programs that would be more effective.
But some voters seem to agree with Minnis that the issue turns on personal
responsibility and freedom.

"I just don't feel it should be a crime to have just a small amount of it,"
said William Lacey, 47, of Gresham, who was among those polled. "It's really
a personal decision."

Voters "Understand Measure 57 is not going to be effective in dealing with
drug use by youth," said state Rep. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, a Measure 57
opponent who is a prosecuting attorney. "Too many of my colleagues in the
Legislature told me behind closed doors that this was an inappropriate means
for drug control, but they felt because they were in the public eye they had
to take a tough approach to marijuana use."

Possession of less than an ounce of marijuana is now a noncriminal violation
on par with a traffic ticket. If Measure 57 passes, it would become a Class
C misdemeanor with a potential jail term of 30 days and a $1,000 fine.

The poll found no clear preference among likely voters for Measure 61, an
attempt to crack down on property crime offenders by setting longer,
mandatory sentences. Results come just days after the Oregon Supreme Court
struck down the signature verification process used to qualify the measure
for the ballot, casting its future in doubt. Secretary of State Phil
Keisling has said he will ask the court to reconsider on Monday.

Thirty-nine percent of those surveyed said they support the measure, a
nearly equal number said they are opposed, and nearly one-fourth are
undecided.

"Given the timing of the poll, a lot of folks haven't received their Voters'
Pamphlet material yet. We think they'll swing in support once they read up
on it," said former state Rep. Kevin Mannix, R-Salem, a co-sponsor of the
measure. "But it's still a horse race,"

The statewide telephone survey of 618 likely voters was taken Sept. 30 to
Oct. 6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.

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Checked-by: Don Beck