MEDICAL MARIJUANA QUESTION WILL BE ON NOVEMBER BALLOT

A push to bring the issue of legalizing the use of marijuana for medical
purposes before Arizona voters was successful, as the Arizona Secretary of
State recently verified that the petition contains enough signatures to be
placed on the ballot.

On Nov. 2, voters will decide whether to allow patients with a doctor's
recommendation to use marijuana for medical purposes. The Secretary of
State's website notes that the act "protects terminally or seriously ill
patients from state prosecution for using limited amounts of marijuana on
their doctor's recommendation." The de scri ption of the bill also notes,
"Qualifying patients who register with the Arizona Department of Health
Services (ADHS) will obtain marijuana from nonprofit medical marijuana
dispensaries regulated by ADHS. Private cultivation will be allowed by ADHS
only when no dispensary is available."

The measure is sponsored by the Arizona Medical Marijuana Policy Project, a
group which describes its purpose as protecting patients who use marijuana
to relieve symptoms of serious illnesses. The group notes, "...seriously
ill people who use marijuana on the advice of their doctor to treat
illnesses such as cancer, AIDS and multiple sclerosis are subject to arrest
and imprisonment simply for trying to stimulate their appetite or alleviate
their pain."

According to the marijuana policy project, the group supports restrictions
of the use of marijuana, and does not believe it should be used publicly,
and that driving under the influence of marijuana, including for medical
use, should be illegal.

Group members turned in more than 225,000 signatures supporting the act.
According to the group's website, Arizona voters have already approved
similar measures twice, but the wording did not allow the law to take effect.

Opponents of the measure argue that legalization of marijuana for medical
purposes is not necessary, and that it will encourage illegal activity.

Drug Free America Executive Director Calvina Fay remarked, "Arizona
residents should be concerned about replicating California's failures.
Studies show that in cities like San Diego where this issue has been
closely examined, only two percent of those smoking marijuana under the
guise of medicine have serious conditions such as AIDS, glaucoma or cancer.
A full 98 percent are 'treating' conditions such as back and neck pain,
anxiety, muscle spasms, insomnia, headaches and other less significant
conditions. But even more troubling is that 12 percent of the users are
under 21."

The Office of National Drug Control Policy notes that marijuana is not an
accepted medical treatment, and that there is no standard for controlling
delivery of components in marijuana that alleviate symptoms.

While smoking marijuana may allow patients to temporarily feel better, the
medical community makes an important distinction between inebriation and
the controlled delivery of pure pharmaceutical medication. The raw (leaf)
form of marijuana contains a complex mixture of compounds in uncertain
concentrations, the majority of which have unknown pharmacological
effects," a medical marijuana fact sheet produced by the office notes.

Opponents also point out that the act could result in expensive lawsuits to
solve legal questions opened up by the legalization of marijuana for
medical purposes. According to Fay, a number of such cases are currently
underway in California.

According to a de scri ption of the act by the Secretary of State, it "is
self-funding and establishes safeguards: registration cards; fingerprinting
of caregivers and dispensary personnel to exclude drug and violent felons;
strict security, recordkeeping and oversight requirements; inspection of
dispensaries; restrictions on number and location of dispensaries; and
providing penalties."