Pubdate: Wed, 06 Nov 2002 Source: Arizona Republic (AZ) Copyright: 2002 The Arizona Republic Contact: http://www.arizonarepublic.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/24 Authors: Nena Baker and Judy Nichols Note: Republic reporter Bill Hart contributed to this story. VOTERS SAY 'NO' TO INITIATIVE ON POT Tobacco Taxes Boosted; Judges Can Get Tougher Arizonans turned thumbs down to both pot and tobacco Tuesday, defeating a ballot proposition liberalizing marijuana laws while approving a measure hiking the tax on tobacco, according to unofficial returns. They also passed a separate proposition letting judges get tough on drug offenders who refuse treatment. Proposition 203, which would have decriminalized possession of small amounts of pot and required the state to distribute pot for free for medical reasons, was defeated by a wide margin. In contrast, Proposition 302, launched by opponents of liberalized marijuana laws, won by a more than 2-1 ratio. Proposition 303, which will raise the tobacco tax on cigarettes and other tobacco products, also passed about 2-1. "A defeat (of 203) will have national ramifications," Maricopa County Attorney Rick Romley said Tuesday evening. Romley led opposition to the measure and helped launch Proposition 302. Proposition 203 was funded chiefly by University of Phoenix founder John Sperling and investors George Soros and Peter Lewis, who also have financed 19 initiatives in other states. The measure revisited an issue in contention across the country for years. In 1996, Arizonans approved a proposition mandating treatment rather than jail for certain drug offenders and permitting use of pot for medical purposes. However, the Legislature repealed the medical section of the new law. In 1998, the voters again approved medical marijuana, but federal officials blocked it by threatening doctors who might prescribe the drug. This year, supporters said a new proposition was needed to ensure that free marijuana would be available for patients suffering from cancer and other painful, debilitating diseases. Proposition 203 also would have decriminalized possession of 2 ounces of pot or less and enacted tougher penalties for people who committed violent crimes while under the influence of marijuana. Both leading gubernatorial candidates, Matt Salmon and Janet Napolitano, rejected 203. Romley helped launch Proposition 302, which will let judges send first- and second-time drug offenders to jail if they refuse treatment. "This is the hammer we needed to get some people off heroin and amphetamine," he said Tuesday. About Proposition 203, Romley said, "Every state is watching Arizona because the tide will have turned. People will say: "Is it really about medical marijuana, or is it about drug legalization?' " Proposition 303 also revisited a long-running issue, but one with considerably less controversy. The measure will increase the tobacco tax by 60 cents per pack for cigarettes, as well as on other tobacco products. Supporters said it will raise about $150 million a year for low-income healthcare, trauma centers and medical research. "It's a sense of relief that we won," said Bill Pfeifer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association of Arizona. Arizona will benefit and lives will be saved. "Now the real work begins. We need to be responsible in collecting the money and delivering it back to the people." Cathy Danielson, 40, of Lake Havasu City, who had her larynx removed because of smoking-related cancer and appeared in commercials in support of the proposal, said she was thrilled the measure passed. "I started smoking at 13," she said, "and smoked up to the doors of the hospital." - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake