LAWMAKER LEADING PUSH TO LEGALIZE POT

WASHINGTON ­ Proponents of looser marijuana laws got a number of reasons to
celebrate in recent weeks.

Maryland drastically reduced the penalty for anyone caught using marijuana
as medicine. A few days later, the Canadian government proposed a law that
would turn possession of a small amount of pot from a crime into an offense
akin to a traffic violation.

It's all good news for the handful of American lawmakers who favor
liberalized drug laws ­ among them Texas Rep. Ron Paul, R-Surfside, a
physician and former Libertarian presidential candidate.

"I really believe this country is one day going to wake up and say that
whole experiment on drug prohibition is a failure. I think we're just
starting to break through on that," he said.

He and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., one of Congress' most liberal members,
have tried many times to legalize the medical use of marijuana. They filed
their most recent bill 10 days ago. It's the sixth try for such a bill. Last
year's version drew 47 co-sponsors in both parties, but like the earlier
tries, it died in committee.

Federal drug authorities call the approach wrongheaded.

"No family, no community is better because more drugs are available," said
Dr. Andrea Barthwell, deputy director of the White House Office of National
Drug Control Policy.

She contends that medical marijuana advocates ignore the fact that the
drug's active ingredient is already available by prescription as the pill
Marinol.

"We see the move to smoke weed as a medicine as a way to have people have
more liberal responses to marijuana," she said. "They are trying to make
drugs more available."

Dr. Paul disputes that the push for medical marijuana is a front for a more
ambitious agenda. However, he said, "I would admit that if we go in the
direction of a more liberal approach to the drug laws, it would please me."

Political, Medical Beliefs

For him, it's a fight that combines ideological distrust for federal
authority with a doctor's compassion. As a Libertarian, he believes
individuals have the right to make their own choices, and that states, not
the federal government, have the authority to regulate drugs. He noted that
Prohibition required a constitutional amendment to ban alcohol nationwide.

As a physician, he said drug use should be handled like alcoholism ­ as an
ailment, not a crime.

"My medical training re-emphasizes my political beliefs," he said. "There's
so much evidence now that some individuals have done quite well with the use
of medical marijuana. People who have suffered from cancer and AIDS are able
to maintain their nutrition a lot better if they're allowed to smoke
marijuana."

Dr. Paul has paid a political price for his advocacy. In his 1998 House
campaign, for instance, after he voted against a $2.3 billion fund for
anti-narcotics efforts in Latin America, his Democratic opponent accused him
of being "committed to flooding our streets with dangerous drugs."

"It's so unfair," Dr. Paul said. "I have 16 grandchildren. As a physician I
think drugs are horrible. I've never seen anyone smoke a marijuana
cigarette. That's how far away I am from this stuff. But I also try to look
at this objectively."

Dr. Paul served four House terms before losing the 1984 GOP Senate primary
to Phil Gramm. Tom DeLay, now the House majority leader, won the House seat
that Dr. Paul had vacated. Dr. Paul returned to Congress in 1996, winning
election in a neighboring district.

"If I were so off-base on this, I would have trouble in my district, which
is a very, very conservative Bible Belt district," he said.

In mid-March, the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws
visited Capitol Hill to press their cause. Dr. Paul was the only Texas
lawmaker to meet with them personally.

"We recognize it's an uphill battle," said Keith Stroup, NORML's executive
director.

States Ease Penalties

Eight states have legalized marijuana for medical purposes, mostly by
referendum, and 21 have adopted nonbonding resolutions that recognize its
medical value. But the Supreme Court says federal bans still apply. On May
23, Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich, a Republican, defied fierce White House
pressure and signed into law a measure that set a maximum fine of $100 for
using marijuana out of "medical necessity." Possession without that excuse
still carries up to a year in jail.

Dr. Paul called the law a "great achievement." He called the drug war itself
the problem ­ how it leads to police excesses and fills prisons with people
who did stupid things that mainly hurt themselves.

"If you drink 20 beers in your house, if you drink yourself to death, the
police don't care," he said, "but if you smoke a marijuana cigarette,
they'll arrest you."