YES ON INITIATIVE 692 (MEDICAL MARIJUANA)

SHOULD patients with terminal illnesses or debilitating pain be allowed to
smoke marijuana prescribed by their doctors without fear of criminal
prosecution?

That is the question posed by Initiative 692. Voters should say yes to this
responsible and compassionate measure that puts an intensely private
medical decision in the hands of those who know what's best for their
health: doctors and patients.

Last fall, voters wisely rejected Initiative 685, a sweeping drug-policy
reform measure that would have revised penalties for drug possession and
allowed medical use of marijuana - as well as many other controlled
substances such as LSD and heroin. The message sent by I-685's overwhelming
defeat: Keep it simple, keep it narrow, and ensure the safe prescription of
pot strictly for pain relief.

The new and improved measure before voters this year is a model for other
states. First, I-692 deals with medical marijuana only - not an entire
class of drugs. It clearly prohibits the use of marijuana for non-medical
purposes. Licensed, certified physicians must authorize and provide valid
documentation that the potential benefits of medical marijuana outweigh the
risks for a qualifying patient. Tightly drawn criteria for qualifying
patients must be met. The patient must have a terminal or debilitating
medical condition defined as cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy,
glaucoma, or intractable pain unrelievable by any other standard medical
treatment.

New medical conditions can be added only with approval of the Washington
state Medical Quality Assurance Board.

To address legitimate concerns about "sending the wrong message to kids,"
there are strong safeguards in place against the open, circus-like
atmosphere of cannabis clubs in California. The measure explicitly forbids
public use or display of medical marijuana, makes it a class C felony to
fake medical documentation, and does not allow medical-marijuana use to be
a defense against reckless driving.

The initiative is silent on how doctors and patients will obtain the
prescribed drug. Many will simply continue to subscribe to an existing
nonprofit medical marijuana network, the acclaimed Green Cross Patient
Co-op on Bainbridge Island, which provides controlled, doctor-supervised
supplies to patients with spinal cord injuries, AIDS, multiple sclerosis
and cancer. I-692 would remove the wink-and-nod law-enforcement climate
under which the network currently operates. The state Legislature should
persist in bipartisan efforts to work with Green Cross and secure research
funding for a state-sponsored distribution system.

Illicit drug use is a serious problem. But a narrow class of sick people
should not be held hostage by inflexible, tough-on-crime policy. I-692
would free suffering patients from the threat of jail, giving them
compassionate respite to worry about their finances, their families, and
their futures.