GROUP REVIVES ANTI-POT EFFORT

The campaign to fight a medical marijuana proposal is slowly getting back
into shape.

However, some of its key players -- who once thought the issue was off the
ballot -- are now gone themselves. And the leader of the effort, Arapahoe
County Sheriff Pat Sullivan, admits it's tough getting money and an
organization back into shape.

"Right now, we're just a bunch of volunteers and we only have five weeks to
go," Sullivan said Thursday. "The big money is on the other side."

Last April, former U.S. drug czar Bill Bennett and Colorado's law
enforcement leaders gathered at the Capitol to oppose legalizing marijuana
for medical purposes.

But then Secretary of State Vikki Buckley ruled that petitions to put the
issue on the Nov. 3 ballot lacked sufficient signatures.

Another reversal came Sept. 11, when Denver District Judge Herbert Stern
ordered the measure back on the ballot after the signature-checking methods
in Buckley's office were challenged.

"We were severely handicapped," Sullivan admits now. "Having it off the
ballot during the month of August doesn't help fund-raising or organization.

On top of that, there's still a question whether it will remain on the
ballot. A battle is being waged in the Colorado Supreme Court.

"It's a shaky proposition for people to invest money in fighting an issue
when they don't even know if it will be on the ballot," Sullivan said.

Checked-by: Mike Gogulski