MEDICAL MARIJUANA INITIATIVE TO APPEAR ON NOV. BALLOT

For University alum Charles Ream, the fight to place the issue of marijuana
legalization on the ballot has been a political and personal crusade. The
Scio Township trustee led the petition signatures drive that was recently
approved by the city clerk's office, allowing the issue to appear on the
ballot this November.

Ann Arbor voters will decide whether or not medical marijuana should be
legalized, a controversial question that was placed on the ballot as a
result of 7,000 petition signatures collected through the initiative of
local supporters over the course of one year.

Ream worked to achieve the support of at least 5 percent of the city's
population by May, the amount necessary to place a proposal on the ballot,
greatly surpassing the minimum requirement.

The city usually uses a sampling method when checking the validity of
signatures for a petition -- meaning they check only a random selection of
signatures. But in the case of the medical marijuana initiative, the city
validated the authenticity of each signature individually by checking voter
registration cards, Ream said.

"The most important thing is for the proposal to pass for medical uses, but
we also want to make a resounding statement that American people are fed up
with federal government trying to control their lives," Ream said. He added
that he is sure the proposal will pass in Ann Arbor this November.

"It is outrageous for healthy people to tell sick people that they cannot
have the medicine that is making them feel better. These people have found
a way to cope with a disease and have found a way to live," Ream added.

It still remains unclear whether or not medical marijuana has proven
medical benefits, although according to Medical Marijuana Detroit, it has
been used to treat multiple sclerosis, migraine headaches, glaucoma, cancer
and AIDS/HIV.

But the lack of substantial scientific evidence and fear of marijuana as a
gateway drug, leads many national medical organizations, such as the
American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society and National Eye
Institute to officially reject the idea of legalizing medical marijuana.

RC senior Rachel Frey said she agrees with legalizing marijuana for
medicinal purposes.

"In general, it's better to use alternative forms of medicine, things that
are not necessarily developed in a lab, but rather are natural and come
from the earth, like cannabis. (Sick people) have found something that
makes them feel better," she said.

She added, " The government doesn't have the right to tell people what to
put into their bodies, especially if it is for positive use, like medication."

But recent RC graduate Benjamin Turbo said he is hesitant about supporting
the legalization of marijuana.

"I think drug use is a personal issue and I wouldn't want to tell anyone
how to live their life, but I am unsure about how it would be distributed
and I think it could be an easy way for young children to get pot," Turbo said.

Ann Arbor currently has a law that makes the possession of marijuana
punishable by a $25 fine. Although the sale or use of marijuana is illegal
in the United States under federal law, there are now eight states --
Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Nevada, Oregon and Washington
- -- that permit the legal use of medical marijuana.

"The more liberal, western states ... have already legalized it and Ann
Arbor represents a more liberal frame of mind within the Midwest. There is
nothing wrong with it in my moral opinion," said Katie Deutsch, a senior in
the School of Art and Design.