OPINION

I685 way beyond medical marijuana
By John Carlson, Political Columnist

There are many people who believe that America's war against drugs cannot
be won and that we'd be better off as a nation by reversing course,
legalizing drugs and emphasizing treatment instead of punishment for addicts.

Such radical change, but it is a fair topic for a robust debate. And while
voters may not know it, one side of that debate, Initiative 685, will face
the voters for an upordown decision on Election Day.

But while I685's supporters want to change the law, they apparently don't
want the debate. So they are using massive outofstate contributions to
market the ballot measure as a means of easing drug laws to soothe the pain
of the terminally ill.

That is a much narrower debate that would benefit a narrowly written
initiative. But I685 is anything but narrow. Consider the following:

The ballot title asks whether "medical use of Schedule I controlled
substances (should) be permitted." What exactly is a "medical use," and
what is a "Schedule 1" drug?

Schedule 1 drugs are illegal narcotics, including heroin, LSD, PCP,
methamphetamine, "ecstacy," "crank" and marijuana. They would be legalized
for people who meet the definition of "seriously ill." But what, exactly,
is the legal definition of "serious illness?" There is none. It's wide
open. And a doctor wouldn't have to prescribe these drugs, just
recommending them in writing, which then allows the user to possess any
quantity of the drug he or she wishes without legal limit.

Initiative backers insist that safeguards are in place, because a second
physician has to sign off on the recommendation. But Ronald Kuest, formerly
the executive secretary of the Washington State Board of Pharmacy, points
out that "two poor medical opinions backed up by an article in some obscure
medical journal only makes for poor medicine.

The point is welltaken. Doctors would never be allowed to prescribe drugs
with such flimsy safeguards. But since these drugs are only being
"recommended," none of the protections built into the prescription process
applies. The overwhelming majority of doctors would never subvert the
standards of their profession to allow the usage of illegal narcotics for
treating patients, but a few doctors are intent on doing exactly that. The
initiative's authors know this, which is why its parameters are extended to
widely. This ballot measure goes way, way beyond medical marijuana.

The initiative's other drastic revision is in how it treats drug felons.
Section 7 makes hundreds of drug felons eligible for parole within 90 days.

The I685 campaign defends this clause by saying that it's ridiculous for
someone to be sent to prison for "smoking a few joints." Sorry, but there
is no one in any Washington prison today who only "smoked a few joints."
You need multiple convictions to even get a prison sentence in Washington.
Almost all of the drug felons behind bars today are drug dealers. They are
presumably the most enthusiastic supporters of this provision in the
initiative.

The initiative's defenders claim that language in I685 actually gets
tougher on felons who commit violent felonies while on drugs. There then,
is their list of county prosecutors supporting I685? There are none. Not
one. How about police chiefs? Sheriffs? Beat cops?

It is certainly true that treatment works better at curing addition than
punishment. But initiative backers overlook an important reality: The fear
of punishment is often the only way to force addicts to accept treatment.
If I685 passes, that incentive goes away. One less reason to seek treatment.

So be wary of those ads saying that I685 is all about helping the
suffering ease their pain. The critically ill are not the main focus of
this initiative. They are merely being used a campaign props for a much
wider and considerably less noble motive.

John Carlson is a commentator, KVI radio talkshow hose and chairman of the
Washington Institute for Policy Studies, a freemarket research group in
Seattle. His column appears every Wednesday. Carlson can be reached at PO
Box 24625, Seattle, WA 981240645 or at 2069386300