MEDICAL MARIJUANA ON BALLOT ONCE AGAIN

As one of only two states in the country to have a medical marijuana
question on the ballot, Colorado is unique this upcoming election.

In the strangest of circumstances in what critics say was "mishandling," the
pot question is on the ballot not by petitioning, but by court order this
time. That is because in 1998, petitioners turned in 88,000 signatures to
place the question on the ballot. But Secretary of State Vicki Buckley
rejected 37,000 signatures, leaving the initiative 2,500 signatures short of
qualifying.

The petitioners won in court in October 1998, when a judge ruled that the
question be placed on that year's ballot. He said Buckley "bungled" the
signature count Those who voted in the last election remember the medical
marijuana question being on the ballot as Amendment 19; however, Buckley did
not count the votes. Buckley appealed the district court judge's decision
and maintained that there were not enough valid signatures on the petition
to qualify for the ballot.

It was only much later in July 1999 when Buckley, 51, died suddenly of a
heart attack that the current secretary of state, Donetta Davidson,
initiated another recount under pressure from petitioners.

Davidson found boxes of signed petitions in Buckley's office, separate from
where petitions are stored, and it was unclear whether they were ever
counted. Davidson soon verified that there were sufficient signatures on
the original petitions.

The state had made a serious error not counting the votes. Proponents say
that exit polls conducted as people left the voting booths show the
initiative would have passed.

Because of Davidson's recount, the Colorado Supreme Court ordered the
initiative be placed on this year's ballot. The medical marijuana question
will appear as the first initiative on the Nov. 7 ballot as Amendment 20.

Only New Mexico has a medical marijuana question on the ballot in addition
to our state. According to their law, initiatives have to be approved
twice, unlike referendums that only have to be voted on once. The medical
marijuana question passed easily in their state in 1998, but now must be
voted on again in 2000.

If Colorado passes the medical marijuana initiative in November, it will be
the ninth state to do so. Medical marijuana has never failed to pass when
on the ballot. The issue has also never been placed on the ballot by
elected officials. It has always been a result of citizen petitioning.

States that have passed medical marijuana laws are California, Oregon,
Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Maine, Alaska and Washington, D.C.

A recent Rocky Mountain News poll showed 71 percent in favor.