Pubdate: Tue, 20 Oct 1998
Source: Arizona Republic (AZ)
Copyright: 1998, The Arizona Republic.
Contact:  http://www.azcentral.com/news/
Author: Mike McCloy

PROPOSITION 300 PROMPTS ANTI-DRUG RALLY

Republican leaders rallied in front of 150 children at the Thomas J.
Pappas school for the homeless Monday, urging a "yes" vote on
Proposition 300, to gut Arizona's medical-marijuana law.

Proclaiming that drugs are bad and cheerleading the children, Reps.
Matt Salmon, John Shadegg and J.D. Hayworth and Sen. Jon Kyl joined
Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley and state Superintendent of
Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan in the media event.

Supporters of the 1996 medical-marijuana initiative want to legalize
street drugs and to use the legalization of those drugs as medicine as
an opening wedge, the children were told.

University of Phoenix founder John Sperling and millionaires from New
York and Cleveland have spent more than $1 million for the initiative
and against a Nov. 3 referendum on changes made by the Legislature,
said Stan Barnes, president of Arizonans Against Heroin and an
announcer on KFYI-AM (910).

Proposition 300 would require Food and Drug Administration approval of
marijuana as medicine before Arizona doctors could prescribe street
drugs for side effects of cancer, AIDS and other ailments.

If Proposition 300 fails, the 1996 law would remain in
effect.

Sam Vagenas, consultant to The People Have Spoken, said using the
tax-supported school for the rally was an "abuse of public power."

"If there's no law against it, there ought to be," said Vagenas, whose
group opposes Proposition 300. "If we called up to do a press
conference at the school, they wouldn't let us do it, and we certainly
wouldn't do it."

Maricopa County schools Superintendent Sandra Dowling said she would
allow Vagenas' group to present an anti-drug message to students.

***

Mike McCloy can be reached at 444-8111 or at  via
e-mail.
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Checked-by: Patrick Henry