VT. CANDIDATES DEBATE MEDICAL POT USE

MONTPELIER, Vt.- The Democratic and Republican candidates for
governor aired their differences over using marijuana for medical
purposes yesterday, while the personal, legal and scientific facets of
the issue intertwined in testimony before a panel of
legislators.

"I believe that we as Vermonters need to ask ourselves whether it
makes any sense for Vermonters with life-threatening illnesses to face
arrest or legal penalties for the simple act of taking a natural
medicine that relieves their suffering," Burlington Mayor Peter
Clavelle, the Democratic candidate for governor, told lawmakers.

"It sends a mixed message to young people in our state," Gov. James
Douglas, the Republican incumbent, said at his weekly news conference.

Both men were referring to a bill in front of the Health and Welfare
Committee that would exempt patients with certain chronic conditions
or illnesses - ca ncer, HIV or glaucoma, for example - from arrest and
prosecution for possession of limited amounts of marijuana.

The committee spent the day taking testimony on the bill, which was
approved by the Senate last year.

"If the intent of the legislation is to decriminalize marijuana, just
do it," said Dr. Jamie O'Brien, president of the Vermont Medical
Society. "Don't dress it up as medicinal."

O'Brien said the evidence claiming the efficacy of marijuana as a pain
reliever was too anecdotal for him to support the bill.

Commissioner of Public Safety Kerry Sleeper said the measure, if
passed, would cause an increase in petty crime and a proliferation of
the drug trade in Vermont.

"You cannot debate this legislation without realizing the lack of
adequate controls," he said.

Rep. David Zuckerman, Progressive-Burlington, called such statements
"myths based on fear."

"Hopefully we can get it to the (House) floor," said Zuckerman, who is
sponsoring the legislation.

That assessment was not shared by Thomas Koch - the Barre Republican
who heads the committee - and Douglas, who said he hoped to work with
legislators to keep the bill from reaching his desk.

At his news conference Douglas defended his support of a bill to
decriminalize up to 1 ounce of marijuana when he was a state
representative in 1978. He said he voted for the measure because of
the effect people arrested for drugs were having on the corrections
system.