MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA FAVORED BY STATE SENATOR

LITTLE ROCK -- Sen. John Riggs, D-Little Rock, said Monday he plans to file
a bill during the 2003 legislative session that would legalize marijuana
use for medical purposes.

First, he said he plans to ask Legislative Council next month to approve an
interim study to look at the issue.

It will be discussed by experts who will appear before committees,
including the Joint Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor, during
the interim study, he said.

"We'd be able to look at the issue and get a lot of questions answered
before we go into the session," he said.

Riggs said marijuana's benefits to people who are ill and suffering
outweigh any social concerns about the drug.

"Basically, it's a humanitarian issue," Riggs said. "We have people out
there that are suffering, who have catastrophic diseases and we don't have
the medical technology, in some cases, to relieve their suffering."

"We have a plant that God gave us that does this in certain circumstances,"
he said. "To me it's a no brainer. I think Arkansans are for the most part
very compassionate. We're talking about people that are terminally ill ...
and we should do whatever is possible to make their lives as comfortable as
possible."

The state senator cited results from a recent University of Arkansas
Political Science Department poll that showed two-thirds of the 767 state
respondents said they support allowing seriously ill patients to use
marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Riggs said the proposal, which would allow those using the marijuana to
grow it themselves, mirrors a proposed citizen initiative being circulated
by the Northwest Arkansas-based group Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in
Arkansas.

The proposal would require a doctor's permission. It is patterned after an
Oregon law, and would be regulated by the state Health Department.

"If you have a certain disease or debilitating medical condition, such as
cancer or HIV, you'd be able to get the marijuana," he said.

The Alliance for Reform of Drug Policy in Arkansas has collected nearly
6,000 signatures and must collect about 56,000 by July 1 to get the
proposed initiative on the November ballot.

Denelle Campbell, executive director of the Alliance for Reform of Drug
Policy, said her organization will continue to collect signatures but also
strongly supports Riggs' proposal.

"We haven't abandoned our petition drive," she said. "We don't want to give
up anything, so we're doing both. Certainly it would be more efficient for
us if a bill is introduced."

Rep. Jim Lendall, D-Mabelvale, introduced a bill last year that would have
legalized medical marijuana but the measure did not reach the House floor.

Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Oregon and Washington
allow people who are ill and suffering to receive, possess, grow or smoke
marijuana for medical purposes without fear of state prosecution.