Marijuana issue may get hearing in Legislature

by David Postman and Kery Murakami
Seattle Times Olympia bureau

Despite the crushing defeat of a measure that would have loosened state
drug laws, legislators say they may attempt to legalize medicinal marijuana
next year.

"The initiative went down because it was too broad," said Sen. Alex Deccio,
RYakima, chairman of the Senate Health and LongTerm Care Committee. "I
think we should look at a very narrowly drawn bill."

Deccio opposed the initiative. But he said he would hold hearings on a
medical marijuana bill because the drug could help terminally ill patients
in their final days. "I'd rather we looked at a tightly drawn marijuana
bill rather than looking at assisted suicide."

Deccio supported an experimental medicinal marijuana program in the state
in 1976. He said his support grew out of his daughter's painful death to
Hodgkin's disease.

There may be bipartisan support in the Senate for such a bill, and Seattle
Sen. Jeanne Kohl, a Democrat, said she may sponsor the measure.

But there are still plenty of skeptics in the Legislature.

Rep. Bill Backlund, RRedmond, vice chairman of the House Health Care
Committee, said he doubted there would be support for legalizing medicinal
marijuana.

"I think people had their say on that," he said.

Tuesday night, Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, the leading opponent of I685, said he
thought it was worth at least talking about a medicinal marijuana bill
which initiative supporters took as a positive sign.

"He invited me to be a part of that process," I685 sponsor Rob

Killian said of a latenight conversation with Owen.

With the defeat of all five initiatives on the ballot, many are wondering
how lawmakers will read the vote.

Robert Larimer, leading opponent of an antidiscrimination initiative for
gays and lesbians, said the easy defeat of that measure should convince the
Legislature to pass a law banning gay marriage.

But Jan Bianchi, executive director of the gay rights group Hands Off
Washington, asserted the vote said nothing about Washington's attitudes
toward gay rights, instead blaming the defeat on the heavy turnout of
gunrights supporters, who also tended to oppose the gayrights measure.

Because backers of Tuesday's initiatives turned to the voters only after
being stymied by the Legislature, it's unlikely they'll have any more
success persuading lawmakers to expand gay rights, increase coverage of
chiropractic care, or require trigger locks.

Rather, they are turning their attention next to electing friends to office
in next year's legislative elections.

"We're going to have to mobilize to get progressive people in office,"
Bianchi said.

Guninitiative supporters say they will go back to the Legislature next
year to seek a safestorage bill and also will begin using a new
politicalaction committee to support legislators and candidates who favor
gun control.

Even before Tuesday's defeat of I685, it had been difficult for Kohl to
find support for medicinal marijuana.

When her fellow Democrats ran the Senate in 1996, she couldn't get a
hearing in the Health Care Committee on a bill to allow for a study.

She eventually got money for two studies.

A petition is circulating for an initiative to the Legislature to legalize
marijuana for medicine and recreational use for people older than 21.

But its sponsor, Thomas Rohan, conceded defeat yesterday, two months before
the deadline for turning in signatures.

"We don't have a realistic chance," Rohan said.

The initiative would have gone much further than what Kohl is talking about.

I197 would have allowed marijuana to be grown, sold and used in places
where minors were not allowed. Dope could be advertised and would be taxed.

Rohan said he was criticized by some in the legalization movement for such
a broad approach.

"We figured if we went for medical only we'd get bashed for the others
anyway," Rohan said.

David Postman's phone message number is 3609439882. His email address
is: dposnew@seatimes.com

Kery Murakami's phone message number is 2064642775. His email address
is: kmurnew@seatimes.com