It may not seem like our country's laws, attitudes and public policy are getting softer on marijuana, but reports from the legal trenches show a distinct, albeit subtle, shift.

"Politically we are making some substantial progress," said R. Keith Stroup, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, to the approximately 55 men and women -- mostly lawyers -- gathered at the Gant Thursday for the group's 1999 legal seminar.

Stroup pointed to last November's general election, which saw five out of five states pass ballot initiatives allowing medical use of marijuana. Oregon voters, too, shot down by a 2-to-1 margin an attempt to make marijuana possession a criminal offense as opposed to warranting just a ticket.

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