OUTSIDERS HELP FUND POT ISSUES

D.C. based organization gives $50,000 to effort.

A local group pushing for the passage of two ballot issues that
would reduce penalties for marijuana possession in Columbia has
received $50,000 in donations from a national organization dedicated
to changing marijuana laws.

There is no organized opposition to the issues that appear on the Nov.
2 ballot.

A Missouri Ethics Commission disclosure form shows that the
Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project on July 19 donated
$5,000 to the Columbia Alliance for Patients and Education and another
$38,000 on Oct. 5. The group has given other donations bringing the
total to $50,000 for this year's campaign. Local donations total $1,755.

"We try to support initiatives where there's a solid strategy," said
Bruce Mirken, director of communications at the Marijuana Policy
Project, funded partly by George Soros. He said the group saw the
potential of CAPE's success in passing the issues, and the MPP thought
it was worth funding the group's efforts.

"There are a number of local and statewide initiatives we're
supporting" across the nation, Mirken said.

The project is also funding campaigns for local initiatives in Ann
Arbor, Mich., Oakland, Calif., and in Massachusetts, Mirken said.
Statewide initiatives fueled by MPP funds include Alaska and Oregon.
Generally, issues the group champions support reducing or eliminating
penalties for marijuana, he said.

"On state initiatives, we're talking about hundreds of thousands of
dollars" donated toward marijuana efforts "in each of the states,"
Mirken said. "Our approach very much is that, when there are local
issues that have a chance, we try to support them whenever we can."

The project has been involved since 2002 in funding campaigns for
changing marijuana laws in elections, he said, but the general
election offers a good opportunity.

"General elections get more turnout," Mirken said, adding that many
people registering to vote are young adults. "What's consistent is
that older voters are least open to reform of marijuana law."

Dan Viets, the local coordinator for the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, is leading the Columbia effort to
lessen penalties for marijuana arrests. He said residents could expect
to hear more about the marijuana initiatives soon.

"We figured it's not much point in spending our money early on because
people forget about it," Viets said. Advertising rates are spiking as
Nov. 2 draws nearer, he said, so the number of advertisements the
group will be able to buy is shrinking.

The group has purchased 500 yard signs that they plan to distribute,
Viets said.

Columbia Police Chief Randy Boehm opposes the initiatives but said he
can't actively campaign because of his position as chief.

"It seems to me that the campaign has been pretty low profile for the
proponents," Boehm said. "Maybe that will change."

A similar marijuana proposal for Columbia in 2003 failed, 58 percent
to 42 percent. In that election, MPP donated $10,000 to proponents.