MAN SAYS TALLY CLOSE ON POT PETITION DRIVE

Draft Would Make Small Amounts Legal

Lansing -- Saginaw lawyer Greg Schmid has faced formidable hurdles in his
quest to place a ballot proposal to legalize marijuana before Michigan
voters in November.

No real money. A ragtag bunch of 3,000 volunteer petition circulators
recruited over the Internet. Coping with paranoia -- "Some people think
this is a police front to identify drug users," Schmid said last week.

But that doesn't mean he won't make it.

"It would be a miracle. But we're within striking distance," he said,
though he refused to say how close he is.

If Schmid gets his Personal Responsibility Amendment to the state
Constitution on the ballot, Michigan would be the first large state in the
country to face the full scope of drug decriminalization -- skipping
intermediate steps such as medical marijuana or replacing criminal with
civil sanctions.

Under the proposal, the possession of small amounts of marijuana (three
plants, seedlings and up to three ounces of product) would be legal.

The deadline for submitting petition signatures for the November election
is Monday. Schmid said he won't turn them in unless he has more than
325,000 in hand; the campaign needs 302,711 valid signatures to qualify. He
won't say how many he has.

Schmid, who doesn't smoke cigarettes or pot and doesn't drink alcohol, said
there is "obviously enough" grassroots support for a well-organized and
financed campaign to put the question before voters.

He said his motivation is a loathing for "hypocrisy in government" that was
fueled by the so-far successful challenges to a 1998 Washington, D.C.,
medical marijuana initiative that passed by nearly 2-1.

"I just love the initiative process," said Schmid, who also worked for
passage of the Headlee property-tax initiative in 1978 and the term-limits
initiative in 1993. Michigan is one of at least 10 states that could have
some form of marijuana decriminalization on the ballot in the fall. Most
address the question of medical use. But Alaskans, who have gone back and
forth on the question in recent years, will vote on legalization.

More likely to be on the Michigan ballot -- along with a school voucher
proposal that has already been certified as having enough votes -- is a
constitutional amendment backed by cities to limit the power of the state
Legislature.

The campaign to make "local votes count" is well over the 302,000-signature
threshold, said Don Stypula, an official with the Michigan Municipal
League. The initiative was prompted by the Legislature's decision earlier
this year to strike down mandatory residency rules for municipal employees.

Stypula said he expects "spirited and aggressive" opposition to the
proposal from business groups and their allies.

Robert LaBrant, with the state Chamber of Commerce, said Stypula's concerns
are justified. The coalition opposing the proposal is likely to challenge
the use of taxpayer funds contributed to the municipal league to pay for
petition signatures.

The coalition, which is scheduled to hold news conferences around the state
today, also will argue that a provision requiring two-thirds votes of the
Legislature to pass laws affecting local government amounts to "minority
rule," LaBrant said.

For more information on the marijuana amendment, visit www.ballot2000.net.