MEDICAL POT ISSUE ON SEVEN BALLOTS

Three millionaires bankroll campaigns

PHOENIX -- A war against the ``war on drugs'' is taking place in six states
and the District of Columbia this month, fueled by millionaires, not
pot-smoking hippies.

Voters in Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and the district
will find initiatives on their Nov. 3 ballots similar to the
medicinal-marijuana initiative passed in California in 1996, allowing
physicians, under defined conditions, to obtain and dispense marijuana as a
palliative to their patients. In Arizona, the medicinal-marijuana question
is before the voters as part of a broader referendum on decriminalizing a
wide category of drugs.

Victory predicted

Sponsors say they think they will win in every state, and opponents fear
they might be right.

One reason for the optimism among proponents is the money that has come in
from three men: New York financier George Soros, Cleveland insurance
executive Peter B. Lewis and Phoenix entrepreneur John Sperling, all
staunch critics of the anti-drug policies of successive Republican and
Democratic administrations.

The three are financing most of the $2 million campaign by the Los
Angeles-based Americans for Medical Rights, which is coordinating the
ballot drives everywhere but Arizona and Washington, D.C. Sperling is the
principal backer of the Arizona referendum, which has raised $1.4 million.

Dave Fratello, press officer for the national organization, said, ``The
goal is to change national policy, but we know we will have to win more
battles in 1999 and 2000 before that happens.'' California voters approved
a medicinal-marijuana initiative, but state and federal authorities have
made a persistent effort to prevent people from selling marijuana to
individuals who obtain a prescription. Nonetheless, some ``cannabis clubs''
are operating.

Proponents of the initiatives, such as Portland, Ore., physician Richard
Bayer, say there are many cancer and AIDS patients for whom marijuana is
the most effective drug in relieving nausea and other debilitating side
effects. A poll this month showed the proposal with a 64 percent to 30
percent lead, but sponsors said they expect it to narrow.

Federal opposition

On the other side, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy
is distributing ``talking points'' to community anti-drug coalitions and
urging newspapers in initiative states to editorialize against these
propositions. Its position papers contend that other drugs can meet the
medical needs of cancer and AIDS patients and urge that marijuana not be
legalized, at least until the Food and Drug Administration and the
Institute of Medicine complete studies on its safety and effectiveness.

Local law enforcement agencies have not mobilized major money or strong
grass-roots opposition to the initiatives.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski