VOTERS ASKED TO SOFTEN TOUGH STATE DRUG LAWS

Marijuana, Prison Terms

WASHINGTON - Drug laws are under attack in a series of ballot initiatives
across the United States aiming to loosen tough regulations and allow
marijuana smokers to breathe a little easier.

The most radical initiative is in Alaska, which is considering a proposal
to fully legalize marijuana.

"This is about justice and common sense," said Mitch Mitchell, a volunteer
with Free Hemp in Alaska, one of the groups pushing the proposal.

In 1975, Alaska's Supreme Court ruled people can have up to four ounces of
marijuana in the privacy of their homes. Marijuana was recriminalized in a
1990 ballot measure, but this year decriminalization backers claim their
initiative is ahead in the polls.

Opponents warn that passing the initiative would make Alaska a haven for
drug tourists, a prospect Mr. Mitchell greets with equanimity.

"Tourists would be able to come and smoke some pot instead of drinking
whisky," he said.

But it is the ballot measure in California that really worries drug
warriors. Voters there are being asked to drop prison terms for most
non-violent drug offenders.

California leads the United States with a drug offender imprisonment rate
of 115 per 100,000, compared with a national average of 44.6, according to
a study by the Justice Policy Institute, a San Francisco-based think-tank.
The number of people sent to prison for drug possession has risen from 379
in 1980, to 12,749 in 1999.

"Californians instinctively understand that treatment works better than
prison to address drug addiction," said Dave Fratello, who runs the
California Campaign for New Drug Policies.

Instead of locking them up, the initiative would sentence drug users to
probation and mandatory drug treatment. Recidivists could get 30 days in jail.

Backers claim the state will save more than US$1.5-billion over 10 years in
reduced prison costs.

Opponents argue eliminating prison amounts to legalization.

Actor Martin Sheen, whose son, Charlie, nearly died of a drug overdose in
1998 and received court-ordered rehabilitation, is campaigning against the
measure, along with the Drug Free America Foundation, the Betty Ford Center
and law enforcement groups.

Oregon, Utah and Massachusetts have initiatives that would change
forfeiture laws, which allow police to seize a person's house and other
assets after a drug arrest, but before a conviction.

Nevada, Colorado and Florida, will vote on measures to allow medical marijuana.