COUNTY SHERIFFS' GROUP UNITES AGAINST LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

A group representing the state's 16 county sheriffs came out Friday
against legalizing marijuana for medicinal use in Maine, saying it
would have questionable health benefits and contradict federal drug
laws.

The announcement came one day after Cumberland County Sheriff Mark
Dion urged voters to pass a medical marijuana proposal on the state
ballot Nov. 2. Dion called the measure a cease-fire in the war on
drugs, to comfort the suffering.

Question 2 for voters on Nov. 2 will ask whether marijuana use should
be allowed for certain medical conditions, including persistent
nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite from AIDS or cancer treatments,
glaucoma, and seizures or muscle spasms from chronic diseases such as
epilepsy or multiple sclerosis.

Dion said Thursday that the measure would encourage compassion for the
sick and suffering, and would not encourage illegal drug use. But the
maverick sheriff isn't getting much support from his peers.

Fifteen of Maine's 16 county sheriffs oppose the proposal, said
Sagahadoc County Sheriff Mark Westrum, president of the state sheriffs
association.

In a statement released Friday, Westrum said the benefits of medicinal
marijuana are too uncertain for the state to be "snubbing our noses"
at federal drug laws.

Growers and dealers, some of whom distribute other illegal drugs,
would still be violating federal law, he wrote.

"From an enforcement standpoint, how much time and effort do you spend
trying to figure this out?" Westrum said.

The Maine Chiefs of Police Association also came out against the
proposal this week.

Hampden Police Chief Joseph Rogers, the association's president, said
the 20 or so members of the association's executive board agree on the
"vote no" stand.

Rogers issued a statement on behalf of the chiefs saying there is no
evidence that the "mind-altering drug" helps people.

"Since when has smoking anything been beneficial to one's health?" he
wrote.

Portland Police Chief Mike Chitwood, who is not on the association's
board, also opposes Question 2. Aside from its debatable medical
value, Chitwood said, "I think it sends a horrible message to our
children . . . I think, personally, it's a ruse to legalize drugs."

Maine's 16 county sheriffs had been discussing their stand during the
past month and a half, Westrum said. He decided to issue the
association's statement Friday after Dion's position generated
questions from the media.

There appeared to be no hard feelings in the debate, however.
"Individual sheriffs in individual counties can do whatever they
want," Westrum said.

Dion said Friday that he wasn't swayed by the majority. "I respect my
peers, but this was a vote of conscience."

He said the state has the ability and the right to explore new drug
control policy, as it has by establishing a drug court and treating
addicts.

"We do have the talent in the state to set up a system to deal with
that public health issue," he said.

Dion said his stand, while unusual in law enforcement, is consistent
with his philosophy on human rights, and influenced by his own
experience with friends and family members who have suffered.

"It's almost as if drug policy is a dogma that cannot be questioned.
And I think, on behalf of those people who are suffering, it has to be
questioned," he said. "I think that our duty is not only to our
profession, but also to the broader community."