Against Initiative 685 William J. Bennett

by William J. Bennett

IN Greek Mythology, the Trojan Horse was left inside the gates of Troy,
masquerading as a harmless offering to the gods. Instead, Greek soldiers
hid inside. At night, they emerged to open the city gates to the Greek
army. Troy was then burned to the ground.

A political Trojan Horse now comes to Washington state in the form of
Initiative 685, the (misnamed) "Drug Medicalization and Prevention Act of
1997." It is among the most harmful and insidious pieces of legislation I
have ever seen. If passed, it would be a considerable setback in the
nation's antidrug efforts. More important to the readers of this
newspaper, it would do terrible damage to the citizens and particularly
to the children of Washington state. Consider the real world effects if
Initiative 685 passes:

Not only would marijuana be legalized, but so would all Schedule I
controlled substances, including heroin, LSD, opiates, and PCP in other
words, deadly hard drugs.

No prescription written and enforceable would be needed to obtain
hard drugs. The users need merely claim that, for example, heroin was
recommended by but two doctors (out of more than 12,000 in the state) for
"serious illness." Like the rest of the initiative, the wording is vague,
subjective and open to incredible abuse. Minor ailments will surely be
interpreted as "serious illness."

The initiative does not cover distribution. That means that "patients"
will need to find a drug dealer in order to obtain their drugs. The
proponents say that they will come back next year or so to ask the state
Legislature for a state regulated drug distribution system.

The proposal will make eligible for release from prison any person
previously convicted of personal possession or use of a controlled
substance, without regard to the plea bargain that may have reduced the
original crime to possession. The estimates are that up to 300 drug
offenders would be freed from state prisons.

Any person convicted of personal possession or use of controlled
substances would automatically receive a suspended sentence and probation
until the third offense.

How is it that such a devastating ballot initiative is running even or
better in the polls? The answer is misleading advertising and a well
organized, well financed prolegalization movement. New York billionaire
George Soros, Arizona millionaire John Sperling and Ohio millionaire Peter
Lewis are pouring in huge amounts of money to finance the Washington state
prolegalization initiative. Television ads falsely portray this initiative
as a way to relieve the pain and suffering of cancer victims. The truth is
that there will be nothing but carnage left in the wake of Initiative 685.
We know drugs like heroin and LSD destroy body, mind and soul.

Because advocates of drug legalization cannot win on the merits, they cloak
their efforts under the guise of the "medicinal use" of illegal drugs. But
these arguments have no basis in medical fact; the responsible medical
community has discredited them time and again. The Washington Medical
Association opposes Initiative 685.

We have been down this road before. In 1996, the voters of Arizona passed
virtually the same kind of ballot initiative. For weeks before the
election, voters heard messages describing the initiative as a means to
provide medical compassion for the sick and dying, as a new way to get
tough on crime, and as an answer to the "failed" war on drugs. In fact, the
Arizona initiative legalized heroin, LSD, PCP, opiates and all Schedule 1
hard drugs. Once the citizens of Arizona discovered what they had passed,
there was a popular movement to repeal the prolegalization initiative.
Earlier this year, the Arizona Legislature did exactly that, passing a law
that effectively repealed the initiative.

The Arizona story seems to be repeating itself in Washington. But it need
not go any further. The citizens of Washington can take a stand against
drug legalization and its attendant stupefaction, violence, misery and death.

I urge them to vote no on Initiative 685.

William J. Bennett, a codirector of Empower America, was President Bush's
director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. He is currently
cochair (with Mario Cuomo) of the Partnership for a Drug Free America.

Copyright © 1997 The Seattle Times Company