ACTIVISTS PUSH CAUSES TO CANDIDATES

Iowa City, Ia. - When Sen. John Kerry campaigned on the University of
Iowa campus last week, he intended to talk about financial aid and
rising tuition costs with local students.

But one student had something different in mind. U of I senior George
Pappas approached Kerry in front of about 50 people to ask the
Massachusetts senator's stance on medical marijuana.

Kerry told Pappas that as president, he would put a stop to the Bush
administration's raiding of medical marijuana patients, adding that he
favors more research on the issue.

Pappas, the president of the U of I chapter of Students for a Sensible
Drug Policy, along with about 20 others, is taking advantage of the
time Democratic candidates are spending in the state before Iowa's
Jan. 19 caucus.

"This is one of the most important social justice causes the country
is facing right now," said Pappas, 22, of Lombard, Ill. "Medical
marijuana is the number one issue in front of drug reform policy."

Other groups are similarly hoping to get their chance in the spotlight
while the candidates are parading through Iowa. Two of the most
visible so far besides the student group have been Iowa for Health
Care and the Every Child Matters Education Fund.

Students involved in the drug policy group say they know the idea of
medical marijuana has a certain"shock value" when raised at political
gatherings. Members say no one in the group condones smoking pot.

"There is such an injustice being done when it comes to this," said
drug policy group member Natalie Wicklund, 20, of Bloomington, Ill.,
who had two grandparents die of cancer. "I've seen what it's like to
watch someone suffer -there is research that shows marijuana helps
cancer patients."

Although federal law bans the use of marijuana, the Supreme Court
ruled last month in favor of state laws allowing ill patients to smoke
the drug if a doctor recommends it. In Alaska, Arizona, California,
Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington, marijuana is
legal for people with prescriptions. The U of I drug policy group
hopes to add Iowa to this list of states. An additional 35 states have
passed legislation recognizing marijuana's medicinal value.

Wicklund questioned former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean at a Johnson
County Democratic barbecue last month about the issue. Although Dean,
a medical doctor, says marijuana should be treated no differently from
any other drug, Wicklund said she was impressed with how receptive
Dean was to talk with her.

Interest groups have always focused on getting involved in the
caucuses. These groups have an incentive to try to get their ideas
across not only to the presidential candidates, but also to caucus
participants, said U of I political science professor David Redlawsk.

"Groups get access to presidential candidates in a way they usually
can't anywhere else," he said. "The caucuses are not only about
candidates but also about issues."

Anyone who has attended a campaign event probably has seen some of the
3,500 Iowa nurses, donning their signature purple T-shirts and
stethoscopes, questioning candidates in past months about a universal
health-care plan.

Each time the Democratic contenders land at a state airport, they are
immediately greeted by a poster reading, "Running for president?
Health care better be your priority."

"Nurses have a unique perspective from the bedside, so who better is
there to be the voice of this change in the country?" said Sarah
Swisher, director of Iowa for Health Care and a nurse at University
Hospitals. For example, Mary Jo Meggers, also a nurse at University
Hospitals, has already talked with Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt, Kerry
and Dean about the harmful effects of soaring health care costs to her
patients.

Volunteers from Every Child Matters, a nonprofit organization that
aims to make children a higher political priority, is buying print and
TV ads, along with putting up yard signs and billboards. The
Washington, D.C.-based organization has three paid staffers and more
than 500 volunteers in Iowa, spokesman Tom La Pointe said.

The group is pushing for programs to stop child abuse and improve
child care and health care for children.

For the most part, the Democratic candidates have been open to
questions asked by these interest groups, members say. However,
members of the drug policy group say some candidates are reluctant to
talk about the controversial marijuana issue.

At a "Hear it from the Heartland" forum last month with Connecticut
Sen. Joe Lieberman, Pappas said he sat intently in the audience
waiting to fire off a question about medical marijuana. He said he was
"blown off" by Lieberman staffers because they were screening questions.

Afterward, Pappas confronted the senator in front of C-SPAN cameras to
talk about medical use of the drug and Lieberman answered Pappas' question.

Pappas said none of the candidates he's spoken to has ignored him
completely, and Lieberman was the least receptive to the medical use
of marijuana.

Lieberman does oppose legalizing the drug and the senator isn't aware
of any reputable studies that support the use of it medicinally,
campaign spokesman Adam Kovacevich said.

Members of the student drug policy group say they feel
empowered.

On medical marijuana

The candidates' positions on medical marijuana, according to their
campaigns:

JOHN EDWARDS: Science is still unclear. There needs to be a high-level
Food and Drug Administration commission to determine right away
whether medical marijuana is the best way to treat pain.

JOHN KERRY: Supports the use of real science to determine the
effectiveness, safety and need for the controlled medical use of
marijuana. If scientifically warranted, and studied by an objective
commission, the use must be closely restricted to prevent abuse and
illegal trafficking.

HOWARD DEAN: As a doctor, he believes marijuana should be treated no
differently from any other drug. It should be evaluated by the FDA for
its safety and then approved if it is safe and effective, rejected if
it is not.

DENNIS KUCINICH: Disagrees with President Bush's methods of "harassing
medical marijuana patients" and instead favors medical marijuana being
used to relieve the suffering of seriously ill patients.

JOE LIEBERMAN: Is aware of reports that marijuana may provide
therapeutic relief for some individuals, but isn't aware of any
reputable studies to support this. He opposes legalizing a drug that
many health professionals believe has greater health risks than
therapeutic benefits.

CAROL MOSELEY BRAUN: Is in favor of medicinal marijuana
use.

Campaigns for Dick Gephardt, Wesley Clark and Al Sharpton did not
respond timely to requests for information about their position on
this issue.