CRITICS HOPING POT EFFORT GOES UP IN SMOKE

Americans in other states would be shocked to learn that Arizona does
not have a medical-marijuana law.

I base this on the fact that during the past year or so, I have been
asked again and again by visiting reporters, business executives and
tourists, "What have you people been smoking?"

Legally, nothing.

Not yet, anyway.

Over the past several years, folks in 14 other states have decided
that their communities would not go to pot if marijuana were made
legal for treatment of serious medical conditions. And we all know
why.

When most of us see the phrase "medical marijuana," we picture cancer
patents or those suffering from AIDS. And how smoking cannabis is said
to ease the nausea from chemotherapy or to help the sick regain an
appetite.

That is the image supporters of Proposition 203, Arizona's
medical-marijuana initiative, want in our minds when we go to the
polls in November.

"But that isn't the whole story," said Carolyn Short, chairwoman of
Keep AZ Drug Free, a group of local folks trying to defeat the
proposition. (Its Web address is www.keepazsafe.com.)

"I'm extremely sympathetic for people who are sick," Short told me.
"We all are. The problem is that even if marijuana helps really sick
people, this isn't what this particular law is all about. If you look
at what is happening elsewhere, you see that the vast majority of
people who get prescriptions for marijuana are not cancer or AIDS
patients. They are people diagnosed with 'severe pain,' something very
hard to prove or disprove. And these prescriptions are written by
doctors just trying to make money."

For instance, in Colorado, one of the states with a "Medical Marijuana
Registry," reports indicate that roughly 90 percent of patients on the
registry were listed for severe pain.

Arizona residents passed a medical-marijuana law in 1996, but court
challenges kept it from going into effect. An effort to decriminalize
possession of small amounts was defeated in 2002.

"But we've never really had a good discussion about this subject,"
Short said.

And she's correct. Her group is trying to change that. They've already
lined up some high-profile supporters for their campaign, including
former U.S. Attorney Paul Charlton, former Suns and Diamondbacks owner
Jerry Colangelo, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., and others.

Short is a former attorney with her own reasons for leading the
effort.

"This is a nonpartisan issue," she said. "I have seen more drug
addicts than I could have imagined who started out with marijuana. My
own stepdaughter started when she was 15, and she is now 34 and a
crystal-meth addict who just can't kick it."

Proponents will point out that under Prop. 203, the cost of the law's
implementation will be paid from licensing fees and fines, without
taxpayer money. And some states with medical-marijuana laws have
collected millions in taxes.

They'll also say that there already are doctors who hand out
questionable prescriptions for mind-altering drugs simply to make
money. We don't ban those substances because of a few quacks.

"All we're asking for is a genuine discussion," Short said. "We'd like
to talk about how this is a planned step toward legalization and to
talk about the many negative aspects of this drug."

For example, extended use of marijuana is said to make a person
listless and inattentive, almost zombie-like.

Which means that should the proposition pass in November, Arizonans
must insist that one particular group of needy "patients" be first in
line for cannabis prescriptions: Politicians.