Pubdate: 22 Oct 1998 Source: Rocky Mountain News (CO) Contact: http://insidedenver.com/news/ Copyright: Denver Publishing Co. Author: Burt Hubbard GROUP FUNDED POT MEASURE NEAR END A California group continued to pump hundreds of thousands of dollars into an initiative to legalize marijuana for medicinal purposes days before it was thrown off the ballot. Americans for Medical Rights, based in Santa Monica, gave $283,000 more to Coloradans for Medical Rights, backers of the initiative, for the three weeks ended Oct. 14, according to the latest campaign filing. That brings the group's donations to $612,000. Secretary of State Vikki Buckley ruled last week that the measure didn't have enough valid signatures. Votes for it will not be counted Nov 3. Buckley ruled in August that the measure didn't have enough signatures. But a Denver judge ordered it on the ballot. Then, the state Supreme Court ordered a line-by-line signature count. In its latest filing, the California group gave $32,000 in cash to the measure and paid bills totalling $250,000. - --- Checked-by: Matt Elrod