Pubdate: Sat, 11 Nov 2000 Source: Blade, The (OH) Copyright: 2000 The Blade Contact: 541 North Superior St., Toledo OH 43660 Website: http://www.toledoblade.com/ Author: Rachel Smolkin, Blade National Bureau U.S. VOTERS AFFIRM 63% OF ALL BALLOT MEASURES Drug Policy Reformers May Be Biggest Winners WASHINGTON - As they confronted ballot measures, voters shied away from making sweeping social changes, rejecting, for example, school vouchers and physician-assisted suicide. But they broke new ground in the struggle over changing drug policies. "The far-reaching measures were defeated because it's easy to demagogue them. It's easy to make people think there's a lot of uncertainty around them,'' said M. Dane Waters, president of the Initiative and Referendum Institute, which tracks ballot measures. "It showed voters are cautious. They do think about these things. They're just not going to pass something if they're uncertain about it.'' Mr. Waters said the results show voters generally defy liberal or conservative labels and vote their consciences on ballot measures. Massachusetts voters, generally perceived as liberal, defeated measures that would have banned greyhound racing, adopted universal health care coverage, and implemented drug policy reform. But they did approve a tax cut. The drug policy reform movement scored some of the biggest victories. Colorado and Nevada voters approved the use of medical marijuana. Utah and Oregon passed measures making it more difficult for police to seize drug offenders' assets. If seized, such assets are to go to drug treatment and education programs, not to law enforcement. California approved a measure to replace automatic prison sentences with treatment for some nonviolent drug offenders; Massachusetts defeated a similar measure. Still, drug policy reformers counted five of six possible victories on state ballot measures. "I think people have grown very skeptical of all the wasted money and wasted lives that have gone into the drug war over the past 25 years,'' said Bill Zimmerman, executive director of the Campaign for New Drug Policies, funded by financier George Soros, Progressive Insurance chairman Peter Lewis of Cleveland, and University of Phoenix founder John Sperling. Mr. Zimmerman said voters are searching for cheaper and more humane solutions to the nation's drug problems. He estimated the California measure, known as Proposition 36, will keep 36,000 people out of jail annually and save taxpayers $200 million. In a year of peace and prosperity, education measures were widespread. Michigan and California voters soundly rejected voucher proposals to offer public money to permit more students to attend private and religious schools. Washington state increased teacher pay and lowered class size. Colorado and Oregon increased spending on public education. Gay rights advocates suffered setbacks in Nebraska and Nevada, where voters voted against legalizing same-sex marriage. Nebraska's ban is especially broad, changing the state constitution to make same-sex civil unions and domestic partnerships invalid. In Maine, voters defeated an attempt to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation. The one solace for gay rights supporters occurred in Oregon. Voters defeated a proposal to prohibit public school teaching that "encourages, promotes, or sanctions'' homosexuality and bisexuality. Some noteworthy ballot measures were unique to particular states but offer some insight into the mood of the electorate. Utah made English its official state language, and Arizona banned bilingual education. Two years ago California banned bilingual education. Colorado declined to impose a 24-hour waiting period before a woman may obtain an abortion. Maine defeated physician-assisted suicide, rejecting a proposal to permit a terminally ill adult of sound mind to seek and receive a doctor's help to die. - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D