CRUSADER CAN'T FIND UTAH LEGISLATOR FOR MEDICAL MARIJUANA

SALT LAKE CITY -- California medical-marijuana crusader Dennis Robert
Peron, facing possession charges in Utah, has been unable to find a
Utah legislator willing to sponsor a bill legalizing marijuana use
for medical purposes.

However, Peron told a rally Monday on the Capitol steps that he
believes Utah eventually will join nine other states that allow
people with cancer, AIDS, glaucoma and other diseases to use
marijuana to alleviate pain and nausea.

Meanwhile, Peron faces criminal charges in Cedar City, where he and
two friends were vacationing in November when they were arrested for
pot possession.

"We brought our message to Utah kind of accidentally," he said.

Peron and his two companions -- John Entwistle, 37, and Kasey Conder,
19, are charged with third-degree felony drug possession with intent
to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia.

The charges alleged they were found in possession of nearly a pound
of marijuana at a Cedar City motel and their car after a maid said
she picked up the scent in the hall, and the motel owner called
police.

Peron and Entwistle say they have used marijuana to cure their
alcoholism. Conder said he uses it for depression. The three carry
documents signed by California medical doctors approving their use of
the drug.

Peron helped draft California's medical marijuana law and was founder
of San Francisco's Cannabis Cultivation Club.

Utah prosecutors say a May 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision
invalidated state medical marijuana laws and prevents the creation of
a Utah law. The high court's decision held that there is no exception
to federal laws that forbid medical marijuana use.