Pubdate: Thu, 17 Oct 2002
Source: Daily Star, The (NY)
Copyright: 2002 The Daily Star
Contact:  http://www.thedailystar.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/557
Author: Tom Grace

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.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom