Official calls plan to legalize medicinal use of marijuana a license for
drug abuse

by Dee Norton and David Postman
Seattle Times staff reporters

An opponent of an initiative to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana
says the measure is so broadly written it would allow a licensed
practical nurse to prescribe heroin to treat a skin rash.

Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, a longtime antidrug crusader, said that, as
written, Initiative 683 would allow medical "practitioners" to prescribe
more than 100 illegal drugs, including heroin, LSD, opiates,
hallucinogens and PCP, as well as marijuana.

The initiative would change a number of sections of state law to allow
use of the more than 100 drugs classified now as illegal on what is
known by the federal designation of Schedule 1.

And because the word "practitioners" is used rather than "physicians,"
persons allowed to prescribe the drugs would include "physicians'
assistants, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, dentists,
pharmacists, osteopathic physicians, podiatric physicians and
veterinarians," according to the state law's definition of
practitioners, Owen said.

"It's all bogus," Owen said of the initiative. "If you get in and
analyze this, you will find it has nothing to do with medicinal use of
marijuana. That's a smoke screen."

The bill's sponsor, Dr. Robert Killian of Ballard and Tacoma, said
Owen's criticism "is inflammatory" and based entirely on semantics.

But asked why the initiative says a "practitioner" rather than physician
can prescribe drugs like marijuana, Killian conceded, "Our choice of
words in writing the initiative may be misleading."

Regardless, the drugs must be prescribed to relieve pain and suffering
of seriously and terminally ill patients, Killian said.

An "LPN (licensed practical nurse) cannot prescribe even an aspirin
without a doctor's permission," Killian said.

Killian said a "careful reading of the initiative" shows that the drugs
cited by Owen "cannot just be prescribed by anyone in medicine."

The initiative also calls for the parole or probation release of
nonviolent criminals whose crimes were committed while they were under
the influence of drugs.

The aim is to reduce the prison population. Killian said nonviolent drug
criminals addicted to drugs need to be treated for their addiction, not
incarcerated.

Killian said the initiative is patterned after an Arizona law.

"In reality, I am a pretty sincere physician who has seen that the war
on drugs is a failure. He (Owen) has no clue about my sincerity. And the
initiative is very clear that any violent offender is not eligible" for
release from prison, Killian said.

Volunteers this week began collecting signatures in Spokane, Seattle and
Tacoma. To put the initiative on the November ballot, they must collect
179,248 valid signatures by July 3.

Owen's attack went beyond the medicinal marijuana portion of the bill.
He said the initiative would also free prison inmates without regard to
the crime that led to their conviction, which frequently involved
reduced charges because of plea bargaining.

Owen sent letters yesterday to all members of the Legislature, warning
they will be asked to support the initiative and that the result could
be embarrassing.

"If these people were truly concerned about making medicinal use of
marijuana legal for these people who are suffering in the ads they will
show, that is the way they would have drafted the initiative," Owen
said. "But they didn't and they didn't on purpose."

Killian said Owen's comments are "regrettable because he and I are on
the same side of drug abuse. . . . The initiative is not about
increasing access to drugs."