Left And Right Urge A No Vote On Initiative 685

Drug Czar Denounces Measure

By Michael Paulson

WASHINGTON A week before Washington state voters go to the polls to
decide whether to allow medical use of drugs such as marijuana and heroin,
President Clinton's drug czar yesterday led a broad coalition of national
and state political figures in denouncing the initiative.

The opponents spanned the political spectrum, from Democrat Sen. Patty
Murray on the left to Republican Rep. Linda Smith on the right. They were
joined by GOP Sen. Slade Gorton and Democratic Reps. Adam Smith and Norm
Dicks.

President Clinton's drug czar, Gen. Barry McCaffrey, was accompanied by
President Bush's drug czar, Bill Bennett.

And, in a counterpoint to the wealthy donors financing Initiative 685, the
opponents produced their own millionaire backer: Steve Forbes, who
unsuccessfully sought to become the GOP nominee for president last year.

``What we are looking at in this proposition is the quasilegalization of
Schedule 1 drugs heroin, PCP, LSD as well as marijuana under the guise
of medical compassion,'' said McCaffrey, whose two daughters live in
Washington state.

``It's a shame,'' he said. ``This is not the way that a democratic debate
takes place.''

Initiative 685 would not only allow the medical use of various drugs, but
would also allow courts to release from prison and onto probation persons
convicted of nonviolent drug possession crimes. The measure would also
create a drug education and prevention commission with $6 million to spend
annually on drug treatment and education.

The group supporting the measure, Citizens for Drug Policy Reform, has
reported receiving $1.4 million in contributions, including $712,000 from
John Spelling of Phoenix, $435,000 from Peter Lewis of Cleveland, and
$335,000 from George Soros of New York.

The group opposing the measure, Concerned Citizens Against Dangerous Drugs,
has reported raising only $65,000, with the largest donors including local
corporations Pemco, Boeing, Microsoft and Puget Sound Energy. Forbes has
reported spending an additional $30,000 on radio advertising against the
measure, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission.

The initiative's sponsor, Tacoma physician Rob Killian, said he was not
surprised by yesterday's news conference.

``It is unsafe for politicians to have a rational or alternative discussion
around our drug policy,'' Killian said. ``For 20 years we've had one voice,
we've spent hundreds of billions of dollars, incarcerated more humans than
any other modern nation, and yet drug use and drugrelated crimes continue
to plague our communities and drug addicts are not getting the treatment
they need.''

Killian said that if the initiative passes, drugs such as heroin and LSD
could be used only if there is scientific proof that those drugs have
medical benefit. In the meantime, he said, marijuana could be prescribed by
doctors for patients who will benefit.

McCaffrey insisted that marijuana is not needed by dying patients.

``If it was demonstrated that smoked marijuana was needed for glaucoma, for
wasting syndrome, for pain management, then without question we would
provide it,'' he said. ``There is no evidence to demonstrate that today,
and indeed there is a considerable body of evidence to demonstrate it is
harmful.''

But Killian said there is much scientific evidence supporting the
usefulness of marijuana to patients in pain.

``It's very interesting to see all these politicians and
politicianwannabes standing in the way of people suffering,'' he said.

The politicians gathered here yesterday rejected that argument.

``If you look at it and ask `Gosh, don't you have compassion for someone
who is dying?' . . . well of course you do,'' Adam Smith said. ``But what's
wrong is (the notion) that if you do, you should support this initiative,
because the two don't have anything to do with one another.''

He argued that the measure would ``legalize drug abuse in our state.''
Gorton decried the measure's outofstate funding sources, saying that
``the state of Washington is being used as an experiment by millionaires
and billionaires,'' and said the measure would ``effectively prohibit any
significant sanction for a wide form of drug possession and drug use.''

``Don't do this to your state,'' Bennett said. ``You will put more drugs
into circulation . . . (and) you will get more druggies coming into your
state and coming out of hiding in your state to openly traffic in these
drugs.''

Many of the politicians cited concerns over their own children and
grandchildren as they pleaded with voters to reject the measure. They said
approval would mark an acknowledgment of defeat in the nation's war on
drugs. ``It (the initiative) is extremely dangerous and must be defeated
because the repercussions for our young people will be absolutely
devastating,'' Forbes said.