Pubdate: Thu, 17 Oct 2002 Source: New York Times (NY) Copyright: 2002 The New York Times Company Contact: http://www.nytimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/298 Author: Richard Perez-Pena MEDICAL USE OF MARIJUANA GAINS SUPPORT ALBANY - Flanked by terminally ill people who told tales of unrelenting pain, Tom Golisano today endorsed the medical use of marijuana, and lashed out at Gov. George E. Pataki for blocking a state program to provide the drug to patients. "My approach to this issue is to return the discretion to the doctors, who are trained to make these decisions," said Mr. Golisano, the Independence Party candidate for governor. He charged that Mr. Pataki was opposed "because he is in the pocket of the big drug companies who stand to lose money if medical marijuana is made available." Mr. Pataki's administration, like that of Gov. Mario M. Cuomo, has refused to put into effect a 1980 law letting severely sick people use marijuana, subject to a prescription and approval by a state board. Some doctors and patients say that in some cases, marijuana is more effective against pain than standard medicines, and it can combat the appetite loss that contributes to many seriously ill people's wasting away. H. Carl McCall, the Democratic candidate, like Mr. Golisano, says he would activate the state program. In the past, aides to Mr. Pataki, a Republican, have flatly said he opposes medical marijuana. Asked about it today at upstate stops in Saratoga Springs and Bolton Landing, the governor at first declined to give an opinion, saying only that "our medical professionals" did not think marijuana use was warranted. When pressed, he said, "They have concluded that it is not justified at this time, that there are alternatives, and I support that conclusion." Mr. Golisano continues to try to broaden his appeal, after spending most of the campaign wooing disaffected voters upstate by emphasizing the poor economy there. In recent weeks, he has proposed free or reduced tuition for public college students, and spoken out about issues like medical marijuana and easing the Rockefeller-era drug laws, issues that are more likely to appeal to voters in New York City. "There's no question upstate the economy is the main thing on people's minds," he said. "As we move downstate, there's probably much greater concern about the Rockefeller drug laws." Lisa Reiss, one of the people who joined Mr. Golisano today at the Albany Public Library, has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair. She said her husband, who died from AIDS and cancer, "lasted a lot longer with the help of the marijuana." "I've used it," she said. "It has eased a lot of my pain. I would use it again if it was legal." Mr. McCall, casting about for an issue that will rescue his foundering campaign, called today for the Justice Department to investigate links between the Pataki administration and a company founded by, among others, Pataki campaign contributors. The company, CarePlus, has won a series of state contracts, despite poor performance ratings. In a statement, Mr. Pataki's campaign manager, Adam Stoll, dismissed the entire McCall campaign as "hysterical and desperate." A Quinnipiac University poll released today showed Mr. Pataki still holding a strong lead over Mr. McCall among likely voters, 47 percent to 31 percent, while Mr. Golisano had his best showing yet in a public survey, 18 percent. Mr. McCall was in California today to raise money, forcing him to rely on surrogates to stump for him. In a series of news conferences around the state, his supporters unveiled his new television advertisement, one that accuses the governor of "trying to fool us again." It responds to a Pataki ad in which Mr. McCall appears to say that upstate school districts should get less money from the state, and says that, in fact, he would give more to those schools. The events pointed up the difficulty Mr. McCall has had in making pointed, high-volume responses to the governor's attacks. In this case, the Pataki ad has been on the air for two weeks, largely unanswered, to devastating effect. The Working Families Party, which supports Mr. McCall, today began broadcasting a separate ad, attacking the governor on education by parodying one of Mr. Pataki's. The Pataki ad shows several children saying what they want to be when they grow up, including a girl who says she wants to be governor. In the Working Families version, when Mr. Pataki says he, too, wants to be governor, a large red "F" lands on the image of his face. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth