NEW MARIJUANA INITIATIVE FOR 2006

Perhaps building on the momentum of this year's polarized election,
the locally based Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana is
working with the nationally based Marijuana Policy Project to get an
early start on the November 2006 ballot.

The committee became the election laughingstock this season after it
had the unbelievable misfortune of forgetting to turn in several
thousand signatures on time for a ballot measure to legalize small
quantities of marijuana.

"There were some glitches," said MPP spokesman Bruce Merkin. "There's
probably plenty of blame to go around."

Undaunted by this year's failure, the group is already mobilizing to
get signatures for a similar initiative slated for the 2006 election
season. This time around, the CRCM is seeking a statute rather than a
constitutional amendment because statutes can be easier to pass than
amendments, Merkin said.

Those interested can get more information at www.regulatemarijuana.org.