GROUP FUNDED POT MEASURE NEAR END

A California group continued to pump hundreds of thousands of dollars
into an initiative to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes days
before it was thrown off the ballot.

Americans for Medical Rights, based in Santa Monica, gave $283,000
more to Coloradans for Medical Rights, backers of the initiative, for
the three weeks ended Oct. 14, according to the latest campaign filing.

That brings the group's donations to $612,000.

Secretary of State Vikki Buckley ruled last week that the measure
didn't have enough valid signatures. Votes for it will not be counted
Nov 3.

Buckley ruled in August that the measure didn't have enough
signatures. But a Denver judge ordered it on the ballot. Then, the
state Supreme Court ordered a line-by-line signature count.

In its latest filing, the California group gave $32,000 in cash to the
measure and paid bills totalling $250,000.

Checked-by: Matt Elrod