GROUP PETITIONS FOR VOTE ON MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA

Allowing patients to use an illegal drug is an issue of compassion, not
Cheech and Chong, supporters say.

CARSON CITY -- A group that wants Nevadans to vote to allow sick people to
use marijuana for medical reasons turned in petitions Tuesday signed by
more than 69,000 people. But whether that is enough to qualify for a spot
on the November ballot remains in doubt. "We know it is close," said Dave
Fratello, secretary-treasurer of Americans for Medical Rights. "If we lose
one county we don't make it."

The group turned in petitions in 13 of Nevada's 17 counties, the minimum
number of counties required. If there is not a sufficient number of valid
signatures in all those counties, the petition will have failed.

"We feel comfortable, but we are always nervous," said Rob Grocholowski,
who coordinated the signature collection in Washoe County. "We think we
have a chance." The medical marijuana supporters needed to gather at least
46,764 valid signatures of registered voters -- or 10 percent of the number
of people who voted in the last election for Congress.

A total of 43,694 were collected in Clark County and 16,111 in Washoe
County, according to Americans for Medical Rights. But the Nevada
Constitution requires the collection of the required 10 percent number of
signatures in each of 13 of 17 counties. Secretary of state officials said
no petitions were submitted in four counties -- Carson City, Eureka, Storey
and Lincoln.

The medical rights organizations hired Progressive Campaigns, a
professional signature-gathering organization, to collect the signatures.
During the next four days, election workers in the 13 counties where
petitions were submitted will count the signatures. Then Secretary of State
Dean Heller will decide whether election workers should carry out a sample
check of 5 percent of the signatures. That sample check must be completed
within nine days before Heller decides whether the proposal goes on the
ballot.

Grocholowski said some people were reluctant to sign the petitions because
they thought they would be supporting recreational use of marijuana. "There
is a fear element in Nevada," he said. "This state has the toughest
anti-drug laws in the nation. Our challenge was to show them we are talking
about the compassionate use of marijuana. That it wasn't Cheech and Chong."

The petition is similar to proposals voters in California and Arizona
approved in 1996. Nevada law makes possession of even a small amount of
marijuana a felony. But it also allows clearing the records of users of
small amounts if they successfully complete anti-drug courses.

If approved by Nevada voters this fall and again in 2000, the marijuana
proposal would amend the constitution to let doctors prescribe marijuana to
people who suffer from cancer, glaucoma, AIDS and other medical problems.