SHERIFF BACKS BALLOT QUESTION TO LEGALIZE SOME MARIJUANA USE

Portland, Maine - Cumberland County Sheriff Mark Dion endorsed a state
referendum proposal Thursday to allow the use of marijuana for specified
medicinal purposes.

Dion, whose declaration was trumpeted by the organization pushing for
passage of the ballot proposal, said he had not turned his back on the war
against drugs. He said he wanted, instead, ''a ceasefire so that we can
treat the wounded in our society.'' Dion said his oath to uphold the law
was matched by ''an equally important duty to seek justice.''

Advocates of the proposal, which will be listed as Question 2 on the Nov. 2
ballot, say authorizing marijuana for specific medical conditions would
protect patients who are advised by a doctor they might benefit from the drug.

The list of qualifying ailments includes 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.

Critics of the initiative challenge the medicinal value of privately
obtained marijuana with no standardized source or preparation, as well as
at least some of the claims by proponents that it would be beneficial in
the cases outlined in the proposal.