Pubdate: Sun, 25 Oct 1998 Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA) Contact: http://www.sjmercury.com/ Copyright: 1998 Mercury Center Author: David S. Broder, Washington Post MEDICAL POT ISSUE ON SEVEN BALLOTS Three millionaires bankroll campaigns PHOENIX -- A war against the ``war on drugs'' is taking place in six states and the District of Columbia this month, fueled by millionaires, not pot-smoking hippies. Voters in Alaska, Colorado, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and the district will find initiatives on their Nov. 3 ballots similar to the medicinal-marijuana initiative passed in California in 1996, allowing physicians, under defined conditions, to obtain and dispense marijuana as a palliative to their patients. In Arizona, the medicinal-marijuana question is before the voters as part of a broader referendum on decriminalizing a wide category of drugs. Victory predicted Sponsors say they think they will win in every state, and opponents fear they might be right. One reason for the optimism among proponents is the money that has come in from three men: New York financier George Soros, Cleveland insurance executive Peter B. Lewis and Phoenix entrepreneur John Sperling, all staunch critics of the anti-drug policies of successive Republican and Democratic administrations. The three are financing most of the $2 million campaign by the Los Angeles-based Americans for Medical Rights, which is coordinating the ballot drives everywhere but Arizona and Washington, D.C. Sperling is the principal backer of the Arizona referendum, which has raised $1.4 million. Dave Fratello, press officer for the national organization, said, ``The goal is to change national policy, but we know we will have to win more battles in 1999 and 2000 before that happens.'' California voters approved a medicinal-marijuana initiative, but state and federal authorities have made a persistent effort to prevent people from selling marijuana to individuals who obtain a prescription. Nonetheless, some ``cannabis clubs'' are operating. Proponents of the initiatives, such as Portland, Ore., physician Richard Bayer, say there are many cancer and AIDS patients for whom marijuana is the most effective drug in relieving nausea and other debilitating side effects. A poll this month showed the proposal with a 64 percent to 30 percent lead, but sponsors said they expect it to narrow. Federal opposition On the other side, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy is distributing ``talking points'' to community anti-drug coalitions and urging newspapers in initiative states to editorialize against these propositions. Its position papers contend that other drugs can meet the medical needs of cancer and AIDS patients and urge that marijuana not be legalized, at least until the Food and Drug Administration and the Institute of Medicine complete studies on its safety and effectiveness. Local law enforcement agencies have not mobilized major money or strong grass-roots opposition to the initiatives. - --- Checked-by: Mike Gogulski