ELECTION '02: PARTY SEEKS POT REFORM

COOPERSTOWN - When voters go to the polls Nov. 5, at the bottom of the
ballot they'll find a marijuana leaf, symbol of the state's newest party --
the Marijuana Reform Party.

The mission of party members, who gained ballot status a few weeks ago by
collecting about 21,000 signatures, is not hard to guess.

They want to legalize medical marijuana and hemp production, and throw out
the state's Rockefeller drug laws.

That accomplished, they also want to legalize pot possession for personal use.

Thomas Leighton, the party's candidate for governor, said Wednesday he
believes he will collect at least 50,000 votes this year, guaranteeing the
party a spot on the ballot for the next four years.

"In this state, we don't have the right to initiative, so our party is a
substitute for that," he said. "If you want to reform the state's marijuana
laws, what you do is vote for the Marijuana Reform Party."

Leighton, 51, said other gubernatorial candidates, including Thomas
Golisano of the Independence Party, are trying to steal the Marijuana
Reform Party's thunder by joining a rising chorus for drug reform.

"I say he's a political opportunist, blowing smoke at the issue," Leighton
said. "He's not going to get elected, so a vote for him will do nothing for
marijuana reform. But if we can put the Marijuana Reform Party on the
ballot for the next four years, we can make this an issue."

In recent years, most European nations have liberalized marijuana laws. Now
Canada, the United States' largest trading partner, is considering similar
changes. According to The Associated Press, "the changes being considered
by Prime Minister Jean Chretien's government would make the penalty for
getting caught with a joint similar to a traffic ticket.

"By contrast, the zero tolerance policy of the United States makes
possession of even small amounts illegal," the AP reports.

Eight states -- California, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Maine,
Nevada and Colorado -- have taken steps toward permitting use of marijuana
for medical reasons, the AP reports. However the U.S. Supreme Court has
ruled that federal prohibitions on marijuana will still be enforced, even
in states where laws have been reformed.

The Marijuana Reform Party's drive for ballot status, accorded to parties
whose gubernatorial candidates receive at least 50,000 votes, may hurt
other reform-minded parties, according to Adrian Kuzminski of the Otsego
Greens.

"There's a chance that they'll knock the Greens off the ballot, and the
Greens also want to reform the state's drug laws," he said. "What's really
a shame is the smaller parties haven't gotten together and tried to
coalesce into a real contender for offices around the state."

Leighton, a former Green, said his party was formed out of frustration with
other parties, including the Greens, who haven't worked consistently to
obtain results. With the Marijuana Reform Party, voters know exactly what
they're voting for, he said.

"We want to legalize hemp production to help our farmers," he said. "We
want to reform the state's harsh drug laws, and we want to get medical
marijuana to patients who need it desperately."

Otsego County Sheriff Donald Mundy said he would be willing to hear more
about medical marijuana use.

"I'm skeptical about it and how it would be controlled, but I wouldn't be
opposed to hearing more about marijuana for medical reasons," Mundy said.

The sheriff said he does not favor the recreational use of pot, however,
"because I think it's true for some people that you start on marijuana and
go on to harder drugs."

Otsego County Assistant District Attorney Richard Brown said as long as the
present drug laws are on the books, he'll prosecute offenders accordingly.

Brown added that he believes there are risks in legalizing pot, because
once it's legal, it might be impossible to outlaw it again, even if that
seems necessary.

Richard Rothermel, Otsego County's public defender, said he wants to see
marijuana laws reformed.

"Lots of younger people are using marijuana, and when they break the law
this way it lessens respect for law in general," he said. "I think if we
legalized it, we'd take the profit motive out of it. And if society weren't
spending so much on trying to stop people from smoking it, we could put
that money toward drug treatment for people who really need it."

According to the Family Education website at www.factmonster.com, marijuana
has been used by people since at least 2,737 B.C., when it was cultivated
in China. In the United States, it was used recreationally until the 1930s,
when the federal Bureau of Narcotics began a campaign against it.

The Controlled Substances Act of 1970 classified marijuana along with
Heroin and LSD as a scheduled One drug. In the years after, laws against
using it became harsher.

For years, the National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws, has
campaigned to reverse the trend. Walter Wouk of Summit ran a NORML chapter
in Schoharie County for a number of years and now is trying to help the
Marijuana Reform Party obtain ballot status.

Wouk said laws against people smoking pot, when they are doing nothing to
harm anyone else, are a violation of constitutional rights.