Pubdate: Sun, 10 October 1999
Source: Washington Post (DC)
Copyright: 1999 The Washington Post Company
Address: 1150 15th Street Northwest, Washington, DC 20071
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Website: http://www.washingtonpost.com/
Author: Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post Staff Writer

NATIONAL AGENDAS COLOR D.C. MARIJUANA DEBATE

When 65 percent of Arizona's voters passed a referendum in 1996 legalizing
the medical use of marijuana, U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) hit the stump.
Over the next two years, the freshman senator argued to state lawmakers,
Congress and local reporters that undoing the state's drug laws would betray
Arizona children and his own law-and-order values.

State legislators sent the measure back to the ballot last November--where
voters passed it again. Kyl and other opponents could only console
themselves that the margin of approval had narrowed to 57 percent.

Now, members of Congress who believe easing state laws on marijuana would
subvert the nation's war on drugs have a new target: the District of
Columbia's medical marijuana initiative. For them, this is a chance to act
on their conviction without riling constituents back home--though some
lawmakers seem to be keeping a low profile on the issue.

Georgia Rep. Robert L. Barr Jr. (R) and Ohio Sen. George V. Voinovich (R)
recently introduced legislation to overturn the D.C. referendum, which won
69 percent of the vote last fall. Although Congress has clear authority to
oversee the District, members whose states have passed similar initiatives
appear wary of undoing a decision endorsed by their own constituents.

Nevada Sens. Harry M. Reid (D) and Richard H. Bryan (D) are hedging
questions on the subject. Reid opposed a Nevada initiative passed last fall,
but his spokesman, asked how the lawmaker would vote on the D.C. initiative,
replied, "I'm not sure it's so simple." A spokesman for Bryan responded,
"I'm not sure he's taken a position on that." Nevada voters will face the
issue again this fall, since all referendum proposals must be approved twice
to become law.

Kyl, who faces a reelection bid next fall, said in 1996 that he was
"embarrassed" by the Arizona vote, but explained later that he was talking
about the margin of defeat, not voters' judgment. His spokesman declined to
say how Kyl would vote on the District's initiative, saying, "It sounds like
nothing is pressing until the D.C. Council acts."

The District's Initiative 59 would change city drug laws to allow the
possession, use, cultivation and distribution of marijuana if recommended by
a physician for serious illness. Only six states--Alaska, Arizona,
California, Nevada, Oregon and Washington--have passed similar legislation,
and most of their congressional representatives have stayed out of the
home-state fray, letting governors and local lawmakers shoulder the debate.

If a vote is taken, it could force Democrats and Republicans to choose
between standing with the majority of their constituents back home or
ignoring similar sentiments by District voters in order to enforce tough
drug laws.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), for example, has opposed California's
medical marijuana initiative, calling such measures dangerous and ridden
with loopholes. But Feinstein, who also faces a reelection bid in 2000, said
she is sensitive to the needs of terminally ill patients and will examine
the District's measure before making a decision.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) would not say how he would vote. He released a
statement explaining that despite his personal "reservations" about Oregon's
medical marijuana law, "the people of my state have spoken, and I intend to
honor their will."

The House voted 310 to 93 a year ago to approve a non-binding resolution
opposing state efforts to allow medical use of marijuana. But Sen. Gordon
Smith (R-Ore.), who introduced a companion resolution, also has not
indicated how he will vote on the D.C. measure, his spokeswoman said.

By law, Congress can negate the District initiative within 30 business days,
once the D.C. financial control board reviews and forwards it. Congress
could also kill the marijuana measure by denying funding.

"It's a twofold rationale" in Congress for overturning the D.C. initiative,
said Marshall Wittman, director of congressional relations for the
conservative Heritage Foundation. "There is Congress's clear, constitutional
prerogative over issues concerning the District, but also many believe in
Congress that the District should serve as a model to the rest of the country."

Supporters of medical marijuana laws say the drug can alleviate symptoms of
AIDS, cancer and other illnesses. Opponents, including the White House's
national drug policy office, cite a lack of conclusive findings about
marijuana's efficacy and current research into treatment alternatives.

Those who back the D.C. measure decry congressional intervention, claiming
"hypocrisy" by members who protest federal intrusion in their home states
but interfere elsewhere.

"The Republicans, the party of states' rights, are only for states' rights
when they agree with what a state or the District of Columbia is doing,"
said Rep. Peter A. DeFazio (D-Ore.), who has battled congressional efforts
to undo Oregon's law permitting physician-assisted suicide. To Congress, the
District is a "sandbox."

"They can use it for experiments and indulge in things they might want to do
to voters at home, but here they can do with impunity," he said.

For now, the congressional fight against the D.C. measure is being led by
those whose constituents have not endorsed similar initiatives. And even for
past critics of D.C. statehood and management, the issue is touchy.

Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), whose district strongly supported
California's marijuana referendum, voted against the non-binding resolution
opposing medical marijuana. An aide hinted that his vote on the D.C. measure
would similarly factor in constituent views.

"If he's faced with this vote on the House floor," a spokesman said, "he
will look very closely at how conservative Orange County voted on the
California measure."

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