PESKY CITIZEN-MADE LAW

On September 18th you reprinted a New York Times editorial about Rep. Henry
Hyde's misguided bill to allow the DEA (Drug Enforcement Agency) to punish
any physician who prescribes lethal doses of drugs with the intent of
assisting in a patient's suicide. Rep Hyde initiated it in response to the
passage of an Oregon citizens' initiative to allow physician-aided death in
certain specific situations.

This bill is an example of how the House Judiciary Committee has begun to
use the DEA to thwart citizen-made law of individual states.

Oregon passed its Death With Dignity law not once but twice, even though
opponents outspent proponents four to one. Michigan will vote on their own
similar initiative this November. Florida is one of the few states east of
the Mississippi whose constitutions allow citizen-made law.

The same committee provided another example this week by persuading Congress
to pass a 'sense of the house' resolution against future medical marijuana
initiatives. The resolution is intended to pressure the citizens of the four
states who will vote on medical marijuana initiatives this November.

The Republican Congress was elected in 1994 on a platform which included
'devolution' - you know - returning power to the states. Instead, they are
'devolving' power to the DEA to thwart citizens' initiatives which the
leaders of the House Judiciary Committee doesn't happen to like.

Checked-by: Don Beck