LEMAN PUTS MARIJUANA INITIATIVE ON BALLOT

JUNEAU - A voter initiative to make marijuana legal under state law was
certified Tuesday for the Nov. 2 ballot by Lt. Gov. Loren Leman.

The initiative would decriminalize marijuana use for people 21 and older.

Leman, a Republican and staunch drug opponent, denied certification of the
measure last January after 194 of the 484 signature booklets were
disallowed for technical errors.

Initiative sponsors filed a lawsuit. Anchorage Superior Court Judge John
Suddock ruled Sept. 23 that many errors were "trivial" and ordered Leman to
count 168 of the booklets.

The measure is sponsored by Linda Ronan, Georgia Mario and Timothy
Hinterberger. Sponsors needed 28,783 signatures to put the measure on the
ballot.

Sponsors have said they expect it to fare better than an unsuccessful 2000
voter initiative that not only decriminalized marijuana, but made possible
reparations for some drug convicts.