ADVOCATES OF MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION SPLIT AND END RIFT

PORT CLINTON - A rift in a grass-roots organization that advocates
legalizing marijuana has been resolved by splitting the group down the middle.

The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws will have two
chapters in northwest Ohio: One will be in Toledo, and the other will
remain in Port Clinton.

It's the result of the disagreement between two factions on the board of
the 100-member Port Clinton chapter. The decision was reached when the two
sparring factions met Monday with Toledo lawyer Spiros Cocoves, who was
hired to mediate the dispute, said Keith Stroup of Washington, founder and
executive director of NORML.

The chapter known as NORML of Sandusky Valley was split by the dispute
among board members. Some favored high-profile President Tomas Salazar,
others wanted to oust him.

The conflict caused Mr. Salazar to vacate the group's Port Clinton office,
taking furniture and office equipment with him. Mr. Salazar remained apart
until Monday's mediation.

The factions "realized they could not work together, so they put the
conflict behind them and will move forward as two groups," Mr. Stroup said.

Mr. Salazar will head the Port Clinton chapter. "It's not clear who will
lead the Toledo group, which includes the rebels who challenged Mr.
Salazar's leadership," Mr. Stroup said.

The Toledo group will apply for affiliate status, Mr. Stroup said. Both
groups will start over, with the Ottawa County organization's charter held
in abeyance until NORML is satisfied that it will hold regular meetings and
submit new bylaws.

Mr. Salazar could not be reached for comment.

Mr. Stroup said that personality conflicts, not policy differences, were to
blame for the dispute that split the Sandusky Valley chapter in half.

There will now be three chapters of NORML in Ohio. The Northcoast NORML is
in Cleveland.

The Sandusky Valley chapter was established in 1990. Over the years, it
organized an annual Harvest Festival and won a bitter fight with the state
to participate in the "Adopt-A-Highway" program.

NORML was founded by Mr. Stroup in 1970 and is the country's leading
advocate for legalizing marijuana use. It seeks to decriminalize the
smoking and marketing of the drug. Local chapters explain that position
with speakers, letters to newspaper editors, and visits to congressional
representatives, Mr. Stroup said. "It's a grass-roots approach to politics,
and we can't do that from Washington," he said.