VOTER GUIDE

PROPOSAL 1: MEDICAL MARIJUANA

Voters will decide whether Michigan will become the 13th state to
legalize marijuana use for terminally and seriously ill people -- if
a doctor certifies it could ease suffering.

The Michigan Coalition for Compassionate Care, which is backing
Proposal 1, estimates that as many as 50,000 state residents could
qualify for medical marijuana. They say it could play an important
role in treating patients with a variety of illnesses such as cancer,
HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis.

Opponents, including virtually all of Michigan's law enforcement
community, say the ballot proposal is flawed and that its adoption
would be just the first step in legalizing marijuana for everyone.

Patients would receive a state ID card so police could easily see
they are legal medical marijuana users and could possess 2.5 ounces
of marijuana or cultivate up to 12 plants.

The ballot proposal is silent on the question of where a patient
would obtain the marijuana, but the state would not be involved.
Selling marijuana would remain illegal.

If approved by voters, patients who use medical marijuana would still
be guilty of breaking the law in the eyes of federal law enforcement
agencies. However, in other states, medical marijuana users have not
been targeted by federal agencies.

Ballot Language

. Permit physician-approved use of marijuana by registered patients
with debilitating medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma, HIV,
AIDS, hepatitis C, MS and other conditions as may be approved by the
Department of Community Health.

. Permit registered individuals to grow limited amounts of marijuana
for qualifying patients in an enclosed, locked facility.

. Require Department of Community Health to establish an
identification card system for patients qualified to use marijuana
and individuals qualified to grow marijuana.

. Permit registered and unregistered patients and primary caregivers
to assert medical reasons for using marijuana as a defense to any
prosecution involving marijuana.

What it would do: Remove the legal onus from patients who are using
marijuana on the recommendation of a doctor. The state would not be
in the business of providing the marijuana, but the ballot proposal
is silent on where the marijuana would be obtained. Medical marijuana
users could not use the drug in a public place and they would still
face penalties for driving under the influence of marijuana.

Pros: It would provide another avenue of treatment and relief from
pain for patients with an assortment of medical conditions; the
proposed law places conditions on the use of marijuana by qualified
patients and would require a doctor's recommendation that the patient
could benefit from marijuana.

Cons: It's unnecessary since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
already has approved two pills for patient use that contain
derivatives of THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana; it
would make it easier for kids and people who are not seriously ill to
obtain marijuana; it would be the first step in a broader agenda to
legalize marijuana for everyone; even if approved by voters, the
federal government would still consider marijuana possession as a crime.

Who's for it: The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Michigan Nurses Association

Who's against it: Michigan State Medical Society, Michigan Health and
Hospital Association, Michigan Sheriff's Association, Michigan
Association of Chiefs of Police, Prosecuting Attorneys Association of
Michigan, Michigan Family Forum, White House Office of National Drug
Control Policy