MARIJUANA INITIATIVE ON TRACK FOR FALL BALLOT

OLYMPIA (AP) -- For the second year in a row, Dr. Rob Killian has collected
the signatures of thousands of voters who support legalizing the medical
use of marijuana.

As he submitted petitions bearing 245,000 signatures to Secretary of State
Ralph Munro on Thursday, the Tacoma physician expressed hope that voters
will recognize this year's measure for what it isn't.

It is not a carbon copy of last year's Initiative 685, a broader measure
that was soundly rejected at the polls.

"We found more of a challenge getting signatures this year because of last
year's initiative," Killian said. "We had to reassure voters that ... This
is what we said it was. It's about medical marijuana."

Initiative 692, the "Medical Use of Marijuana Act," was the third and final
citizens' initiative delivered to Munro by Thursday's deadline to be
considered for the Nov. 3 general-election ballot.

Munro's staff already has begun processing petitions filed Wednesday for
initiatives that would raise the minimum wage and outlaw a controversial
abortion procedure.

Under state law, sponsors needed to collect the signatures of 179,248
registered voters to qualify. Using random samples, Munro's office will
check the petitions for duplications, illegible signatures and those of
people who are not registered voters. Results will be announced in the
coming weeks.

Several other initiatives filed earlier this year failed to gather enough
signatures by the deadline and will not be considered for the ballot. Among
them were two proposals to eliminate the motor-vehicle excise tax, which
would have saved motorists $800 million a year and caused a significant
headache for state budget writers.

"The taxpayers of Washington state want to yank the car tax out by its
roots, but 90 days just wasn't enough time for us," said Tim Eyman,
chairman of the Initiative 691 campaign.

"We will spend the next six months building a broader coalition of support
and will file the `No Car Tax' initiative again in 1999."

Eyman, who said he gathered at least 164,000 signatures, urged his
supporters to oppose Referendum 49, the $2.4 billion transportation
spending plan that the Legislature's Republican majority sent to the ballot
to avoid a veto by Gov. Gary Locke.

The GOP plan's offer of a $30-per-vehicle tax cut amounts to little more
than a voter bribe, Eyman said.

If the marijuana initiative qualifies for the ballot, as expected, Killian
said his campaign will rely on patients and family members who can explain
the medicinal value of marijuana. Advocates say marijuana can alleviate
nausea and loss of appetite associated with cancer treatment and AIDS.

I-692 seeks to allow people who are dying or suffering from debilitating
illness to grow and smoke marijuana if it is prescribed by a doctor. The
measure is modeled on legislation sponsored by state Sen. Jeanne Kohl,
D-Seattle, that never came up for a vote.

This year's initiative is much more limited than last year's I-685, which
- -- in addition to legalizing medical use of marijuana -- sought to revamp
Washington's drug policies to require treatment in lieu of prison for many
offenders and left open the possibility that heroin and LSD would be
legalized.

"Last year's initiative was as much about drug-policy reform as it was
about the medical use of marijuana and other drugs," Killian said.

"This is just about medical use of marijuana."

Foes, including Washington Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, have said Killian is a pawn
for out-of-state millionaires who want to liberalize the nation's drug
policies and legalize marijuana.

Killian's campaign received a total of $400,000 from George Soros of New
York, Peter Lewis of Cleveland and John Sperling of Phoenix, rich
businessmen who strongly support the medical use of marijuana. The men
helped finance his 1997 effort as well.

Voters in California and Arizona approved the medical use of marijuana in
1996.

In Oregon, advocates announced Thursday they had enough signatures to put
the issue on the fall ballot. Supporters in Colorado, Florida, Nevada and
Maine also are trying to get the issue before voters.

Checked-by: Richard Lake