-------------------------------------------------------------------

Democratic Oregon Legislators' E-Mail Addresses (A List Subscriber
Forwards A List)

Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 20:21:20 -0700 (PDT)
From: Terry Miller (pdxnorml@pdxnorml.org)
To: pdxnorml@pdxnorml.org
Subject: Fw: News from the Democratic Party of Oregon -- The Starr Report,
September (fwd)

Folks,

Take a look. I believe we could work this into our next newsletter, n'est
pas?

TD

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 09:55:00 -0700
From: Roger Dodger (rogerdodger@triax.com)
To: stanford@crrh.org,
aal@InetArena.com,
pdxnorml@pdxnorml.org
Subject: Fw: News from the Democratic Party of Oregon -- The Starr Report,
September

To: All Activists
Fm: Roger Dodger
rogerdodger@hempseed.com

Below is a list of Democratic Party candidates (unknown positions or
locations) with email addresses, as forwarded to me by Marc Abrams.

Below the names are the three questions asked of candidates by the
Washington Hemp Education Network, and published by them in the Washington
State Hemp Voter's Guide.

We need to immediatly get these three questions out to the candidates of all
parties in all Oregon races. We need to organize the answers into a
readable format, and dissiminate the info to the voters. Paul could
probably help with the printing since he has workable presses. I can help
in any way needed.

Please respond soonest.

Roger Dodger

-----Original Message-----
From: Marc Abrams (marc6138@worldnet.att.net)
To: Roger Dodger (rogerdodger@triax.com)
Date: Sunday, September 13, 1998 11:20 AM
Subject: Re: News from the Democratic Party of Oregon -- The Starr Report,
September

Here's what I have from my address book. Sorry the format is chopped up,
but it is the best I know hos to do technologically. The ones at the end
are candidates not yet elected.

Marc Abrams

Avakian, Brad
E-mail Address(es):
marychar@teleport.com
Beyer, Lee
E-mail Address(es):
LeeBeyer@aol.com
Brown, Kate
E-mail Address(es):
brown.sen@state.or.us
Burdick, Ginny
E-mail Address(es):
SenBurdick@aol.com
Castillo, Susan
E-mail Address(es):
castillo@teleport.com
Corcoran, Anthony A.
E-mail Address(es):
TonyCorcoran@compuserve.com
Courtney, Peter
E-mail Address(es):
courtney.rep@state.or.us
Dukes, Joan
E-mail Address(es):
dukes.sen@state.or.us
Dwyer, Bill
E-mail Address(es):
bdwyer@darkwing.uoregon.edu
Gordly, Avel
E-mail Address(es):
avgordly@orednet.org
Leonard, Randy
E-mail Address(es):
leonard.sen@state.or.us
Libbey, Ken
E-mail Address(es):
libbeyorsen@mindspring.com
Retread96@mindspring.com
Metzger, Rick
E-mail Address(es):
rm4senate@aol.com
Shields, Frank
E-mail Address(es):
repshields@aol.com
repshields@juno.com
Trow, Cliff
E-mail Address(es):
trow.sen@state.or.us
trowcj@proaxis.com
Wilde, Thomas
E-mail Address(es):
twilde@concentric.net (Sen. Thomas Wilde)
wilde.sen@state.or.us
Yih, Mae
E-mail Address(es):
maeyih@proaxis.com
Beck, Chris
E-mail Address(es):
MtHood1@aol.com
Bowman, State Rep. Jo Ann
E-mail Address(es):
jbowman@teleport.com
Carter, Margaret
E-mail Address(es):
carter4u@teleport.com
Civiletti, Tom
E-mail Address(es):
tcivil@teleport.com (Tom Civiletti: Campaign)
Company: DPO Campaign
Corcoran, Anthony A.
E-mail Address(es):
TonyCorcoran@compuserve.com
Courtney, Peter
E-mail Address(es):
courtney.rep@state.or.us
Deckert, Ryan
E-mail Address(es):
Rdeckert@aracnet.com
Devlin, Richard
E-mail Address(es):
devlin.rep@state.or.us
devlin@aracnet.com
Edwards, Randall
E-mail Address(es):
edwards.rep@state.or.us
edwardsran@aol.com
Eighmey, George
E-mail Address(es):
repgeorge@aol.com
Fahey, Mike
E-mail Address(es):
fahey.rep@state.or.us
Gardner, Dan
E-mail Address(es):
71363.403@compuserve.com
Hansen, Gary
E-mail Address(es):
GDHansen@teleport.com
ghansen@co.multnomah.or.us
Jenson, Bob
E-mail Address(es):
jenson.rep@state.or.us
Johnston, Bryan
E-mail Address(es):
johnstob@willamette.edu
Josi, Tim
E-mail Address(es):
repjosi@oregoncoast.com
Kafoury, Deborah
E-mail Address(es):
dkafoury@teleport.com
Lehman, Mike
E-mail Address(es):
mlehman888@aol.com
Merkley, Jeff
E-mail Address(es):
jmerkley@aol.com
Piercy, Kitty
E-mail Address(es):
RepPiercy@aol.com
Personal Information:
Fax: 541-334-6727
Prozanski, Floyd
E-mail Address(es):
floydp@efn.org
floydp@darkwing.uoregon.edu (Legislative)
Rasmussen, Anitra
E-mail Address(es):
RepAnitra@compuserve.com
Rosenbaum, Diane
E-mail Address(es):
drosenb@teleport.com
Ross, Barbara
E-mail Address(es):
repbross@aol.com
Schrader, Kurt
E-mail Address(es):
thrivers@teleport.com
Shields, Frank
E-mail Address(es):
repshields@aol.com
repshields@juno.com
Sowa, Larry
E-mail Address(es):
sowadvm@teleport.com
Taylor, Jackie
E-mail Address(es):
RepJT@aol.com
Thompson, Terry
E-mail Address(es):
thompson@newportnet.com
Uherbelau, Judy
E-mail Address(es):
repjudyu@aol.com

Rick Metzger; Ken Libbey; Tim Josi; Terry Thompson; State Rep. Jo Ann
Bowman; Ryan Deckert; Richard Devlin; Randall Edwards; Peter Courtney; Mike
Lehman; Mike Fahey; Margaret Carter; Larry Sowa; Kurt Schrader; Kitty
Piercy; Judy Uherbelau; Jeff Merkley; Jackie Taylor; George Eighmey; Gary
Hansen; Frank Shields; Floyd Prozanski; Diane Rosenbaum; Deborah Kafoury;
Dan Gardner; Chris Beck; Bryan Johnston; Bob Jenson; Barbara Ross; Anthony
A. Corcoran; Anitra Rasmussen; Tom Civiletti; Thomas Wilde; Susan Castillo;
Randy Leonard; Mae Yih; Kate Brown; Joan Dukes; Ginny Burdick; Cliff Trow;
Bill Dwyer; Avel Gordly; Lee Beyer; Brad Avakian; pzastrow@linkport.com;
ElectElli@aol.com; LON5X5@aol.com; sunspicer@aol.com; corchero@juno.com;
admking@jb.com; hain4house@hotmail.com; peoplekind@email.msn.com; Vickie
Walker; lonergan@gervais.com; danwd37@dnc.net; dave@sherm.com;
rstucky@orednet.org; dpalmat@aol.com; jgnehm@willamette.edu;
fnelson@linfield.edu; alhlaw@aol.com; kathy.lowe@mcione.com; rs4sr@aol.com;
landauer@coho.net; ehopson@oregoncoast.com

-----Original Message-----
From: Roger Dodger (rogerdodger@triax.com)
To: Marc Abrams (marc6138@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Sunday, September 13, 1998 10:02 AM
Subject: Re: News from the Democratic Party of Oregon -- The Starr Report,
September

> This witch hunt needs to end.
>
>You are right, Mark. This Witch Hunt must end now, before it ignites another
>Civil War.
>
>Please have all of your candidates for whatever position answer the
>following three simple questions. The answers will be tabulated and
>published in a voters informational handbook to be distributed before
>election time. Send the results to me via email, and I will forward the
>results to the proper people. Or, please send me a list of all democratic
>party candidates for all positions, including their email addresses (if
>any), and I will forward the questions to them myself. Thank you in
>advance.
>
>Answer all three questions with YES, NO, or UNDECIDED.
>
>1. Do you support allowing Oregon farmers to grow low-THC
>(non-psychoactive) hemp for industrial use?
>
>2. Do you support allowing the therapeutic use of medical marijuana?
>
>3. Do you support the decriminalization of marijuana for personal use by
>adults?
>
>Charles Stembridge
>Eagle Creek, OR

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Poll Shows Some Voters Not Clear On I-200 Intent
(An 'Associated Press' Preview Of November Ballot Measures
Facing Voters In Washington State Notes Initiative 692,
Regarding Medical Marijuana, Is Favored By 62 Percent)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-Hemp Talk" (hemp-talk@hemp.net)
Subject: HT: WA Initiatives Polling
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 19:28:49 -0700
Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net

Poll shows some voters not clear on I-200 intent

The Associated Press
09/14/98 4:49 PM Eastern

SEATTLE (AP) -- Half the voters surveyed in a new statewide poll say they
support affirmative action, but 53 percent also told pollsters they support
a measure that would essentially end it at the state and local levels.

"It's clear that some voters don't know exactly what this initiative is
going to do," said Del Ali, senior vice president of Mason-Dixon Political/
Media Research in Columbia, Md., which conducted the poll on Initiative 200
for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Seattle television station KOMO seven
weeks before the Nov. 3 general election.

"These are diametrically different positions," Ali said.

Two other initiatives -- to allow medical use of marijuana and raise the
minimum wage -- drew strong support. Voter positions on a measure to outlaw
late-term abortions were less clear.

The survey of 812 voters has a margin of error of 3.5 percentage points.

The measures do not appear on Tuesday's primary ballot. Voters will not
decide them until November.

I-200 asks whether voters want to bar the state from discriminating against
or granting preferential treatment to anyone on the basis of race or gender
in state contracting, hiring, or public education.

When read the ballot language, which does not mention affirmative action
specifically, 53 percent of respondents said they would vote for it, 34
percent said they would vote against it and 13 percent were undecided.

Opponents have long argued that the ballot language is misleading, though a
Superior Court judge ruled last year that it clearly reflects the measure's
intent.

Kelly Evans, leader of the NO! 200 campaign, said the poll shows that voters
educated about the true nature of I-200 would defeat it.

"We need to clearly demonstrate this is about effectively eliminating
affirmative action and closing the doors of opportunity," she said.

It's not the first time the issue -- and the confusion -- has come up.

In 1996, 55 percent of California voters approved Proposition 209, which is
nearly identical to I-200, though exit polls found that 28 percent of that
majority supported affirmative action.

In Houston last year, voters were specifically asked whether they wanted to
"end the use of affirmative action for women and minorities" in the city.
Fifty-five percent said they did not.

But a judge threw out the election results, saying the ballot language did
not reflect the original petitions, which used language similar to that used
here and in California.

Still, the Mason-Dixon poll found most Washington residents would like some
changes in affirmative-action programs. Just 33 percent support them as they
are.

About 35 percent wanted affirmative action eliminated, some sharing retired
air-traffic controller John Cook's view that "affirmative action is a policy
that was needed in the past to end discrimination but is no longer needed."

Cook says he believes white heterosexual males suffer discrimination under
current policy.

"I think it was good in the `60s, because it very quickly brought women and
blacks and Asians in, but it has outlived its usefulness," he said.

About 9 percent said affirmative-action programs should be increased, while
21 percent felt they should be cut back.

"The majority of people do not want to abolish affirmative action entirely,"
Ali observed. "If the opposition can make the argument that this will wipe
out affirmative action completely, they win."

I-200 campaign chairman John Carlson expressed surprise that "we are still
up by 20 points. But given the intensity of this issue we would be foolish
to take victory for granted."

The poll also revealed differences in support along racial lines. About 55
percent of white voters support it, to 37 percent of minority voters.

Here are survey results on the other measures:

--Initiative 692, which would allow people who are dying or suffering from a
debilitating illness to grow and smoke marijuana if it is prescribed by a
physician, was favored by 62 percent of respondents.

--About 68 percent supported Initiative 688, which would boost the state
minimum wage of $4.90 an hour to $5.70 next year, $6.50 in 2000 and then at
the annual rate of inflation after that.

--Initiative 694, which would make late-term abortions illegal, was opposed
by 49 percent of those interviewed and supported by 37 percent, with 14
percent undecided.

Campaigns on both sides of that issue said they believe their contest is
closer than the survey suggests.

Blair Butterworth, who leads the campaign against the measure, said I-694 is
drafted in a way that could limit surgical abortions at all stages of
pregnancy.

Chad Minnick, I-694 campaign manager, said the initiative is not about
abortion, but about terminating a fetus that has reached the birth canal.

While backed by conservative Christian groups that have fought against
abortion rights in the past, the measure "is carefully written to avoid
taking away a woman's right to abortion," he said.

It already is a crime under state law to terminate a viable fetus, except to
save the life or health of the mother, Butterworth noted.

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Medical Marijuana, Higher Wage Favored But There's Opposition
To Abortion Initiative (A Lengthier 'Seattle Post-Intelligencer' Version)

Date: Fri, 25 Sep 1998 15:48:15 -0700 (PDT)
From: bc616@scn.org (Darral Good)
To: hemp-talk@hemp.net
Subject: HT: POLLS favor I-692!
Reply-To: bc616@scn.org
Sender: owner-hemp-talk@hemp.net

MEDICAL MARIJUANA, HIGHER WAGE FAVORED
BUT THERE'S OPPOSITION TO ABORTION INITIATIVE

Final Edition
Seattle Post - Intelligencer
Seattle, Wash.
Sep 14, 1998
Authors: ED PENHALE P-I Reporter
Pagination: A1

Abstract:

Washington initiatives to allow medical use of marijuana and raise the
minimum wage have strong statewide support, but a new poll shows that voters
are rejecting a measure that would outlaw late-term abortions.

With the vote on the Nov. 3 ballot measures seven weeks away, the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer-KOMO News 4 poll shows that the minimum wage and medical
marijuana initiatives are likely winners, while the outlook on the late-term
abortion measure is less clear because a large number of voters remain
undecided.

Copyright SEATTLE POST INTELLIGENCER Sep 14, 1998

Full Text:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer KOMO News: Initatives poll

Washington initiatives to allow medical use of marijuana and raise the
minimum wage have strong statewide support, but a new poll shows that voters
are rejecting a measure that would outlaw late-term abortions.

With the vote on the Nov. 3 ballot measures seven weeks away, the Seattle
Post-Intelligencer-KOMO News 4 poll shows that the minimum wage and medical
marijuana initiatives are likely winners, while the outlook on the late-term
abortion measure is less clear because a large number of voters remain
undecided.

Initiative 692, which would allow people who are dying or suffering from
a debilitating illness to grow and smoke marijuana if it is prescribed
by a physician, was favored by 62 percent of respondents.

Initiative 688, which would boost the state minimum wage of $4.90 an hour
to $5.70 next year, $6.50 in 2000 and then at the annual rate of inflation
after that, drew even wider support - 68 percent said they would vote

"yes."

The measure that would make late-term abortions illegal was opposed by
49 percent of those interviewed and supported by 37 percent, with 14 percent
undecided.

The survey of 812 voters statewide was conducted by Mason-Dixon
Political/Media Research and has a margin of error of 3.5 percent.

As the November election nears, the outcomes forecast for the three
initiatives by the poll are not likely to change, said Del Ali, senior vice
president of the Mason-Dixon polling firm.

Campaigns on both sides of I-694, the proposed ban on a seldom-used late-term
abortion procedure, said they believe their contest is closer than the
12 percent spread that the survey numbers suggest.

"That is so far off from the polling we've done," Chad Minnick, campaign
manager for the pro-694 effort, said about the Mason-Dixon results.

"Our polling showed it closer," added Blair Butterworth, leading the campaign
drive against the initiative.

Butterworth said that I-694 is drafted in a way that could limit surgical
abortions at all stages of pregnancy. Minnick said the initiative is not
about abortion, but has to do with terminating a fetus that has reached
the birth canal.

"If the election is about choice and voters think this ballot measure will
take away choice, then it goes down in a defeat even greater than this,"
said Butterworth, referring to the poll results. "If they think this is
about medical procedures, the election becomes a toss-up."

Butterworth said proponents of the measure will try to focus voters'
attention on a medical procedure in which the head of a fetus that is not
viable must be "shrunk" by physicians in order to remove the fetus.

By proposing to make it a felony to perform a late-term abortion, except
to prevent a pregnant woman's death, backers of the initiative inaccurately
convey the image of viable fetuses being terminated at birth, Butterworth
said.

It already is a crime under state law to terminate a viable fetus, except
to save the life or health of the mother, Butterworth said.

Minnick said that the measure, which is backed by conservative Christian
groups that have fought against abortion rights in the past,"is carefully
written to avoid taking away a woman's right to abortion."

Out of 26,138 abortions performed in Washington state in 1996, the most
recent year for which data is available, only three abortions were performed
on women more than 26 weeks pregnant, according to the state Health
Department.

And none of the three late-term abortions involved viable fetuses or the
abortion procedure the I-694 backers are targeting, Butterworth said.

In their response to the measure that would permit medical use of marijuana,
voters are offering a lot more support than they did last year for Initiative
685. Last year's initiative was a far broader drug legalization measure
and it was soundly defeated.

Tim Killian, manager of the campaign to pass this year's medical marijuana
measure, I-692, which is much more tightly focused than last year's effort,
said he is not surprised that it has widespread support.

"We listened to the people's response to 685," Killian said. "And the people
told us this (I-692) is what they wanted us to bring back to them."

Lt. Gov. Brad Owen, leading opponent of the measure, conceded the initiative
will pass because opponents who characterize it as drug legalization can't
raise the money needed to compete with backers of the measure.

Campaigns for I-692 and nearly identical measures in four other states
are bankrolled by the California-based Americans for Medical Rights. That
group primarily is supported by billionaire financier George Soros; John
Sperling, founder of the for-profit University of Phoenix; and Peter Lewis,
chief executive officer of Ohio-based Progressive Insurance.

The wealthy businessmen have contributed nearly all of the $392,000 raised
by the pro-692 campaign so far.

"We don't even have enough money to organize the opposition," Owen said.

The measure with the strongest backing, according to the poll, is the
labor-backed minimum wage initiative. David Groves, spokesman for the
Washington State Labor Council, said the high level of support for the wage
increase was expected.

Labor has raised $248,600 for the initiative campaign, according to state
public disclosure reports.

"We expected the numbers to be very favorable right now, but we also
anticipate the industries that pay these (minimum) wages are going to spend a
lot of money opposing this measure," Groves said.

But Russ Goodman, of the Washington State Restaurant Association, and Don
Brunell, president of the Association of Washington Business - both of
which oppose the initiative - said they don't know of any plan to mount
a well-financed opposition campaign.

Still, Groves said strong business opposition is likely because the
Washington initiative, if passed, would set a precedent. It would make the
state the first in the country to have automatic annual increases in the
minimum wage that are tied to yearly inflation rates.

P-I reporter Ed Penhale can be reached at 360-943-3990
or edpenhale@seattle-pi.com

Initiative 688

-- Shall the state minimum wage be increased from $4.90 to $5.70 in 1999
and to $6.50 in 2000 and afterward be adjusted for inflation?

Yes 68%
No 24%
Undecided 8%

Initiative 692

-- Shall medical use of marijuana for certain terminal or debilitating
conditions be permitted, and physicians authorized to advise patients about
medical use of marijuana?

Yes 62%
No 28%
Undecided 10%

-- Men

Yes 64%
No 29%
Undecided 7%

-- Women

Yes 60%
No 27%
Undecided 13%

Initiative 694

-- Shall the termination of a fetus' life during the process of birth be
a felony crime except to prevent the pregnant woman's death?

Yes 37%
No 49%
Undecided 14%

-- Men

Yes 41%
No 47%
Undecided 12%

-- Women

Yes 33%
No 51%
Undecided 16%

Margin of error plus or minus 3.5%.

The poll

This poll was conducted Tuesday and Wednesday by Mason-Dixon Political/Media
Research Inc. A total of 812 registered voters selected to reflect voter
registration by county were interviewed by telephone, and all said they
regularly vote in statewide elections. The poll questioned voters on a
range of issues that will be on the Nov. 3 ballot, measures that will determine
state law on affirmative action, medical use of marijuana, late-term abortions
and minimum wage.

Charts; Caption: (1) Initiative 688, Initiative 692, Initiative 694

Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner.
Further reproduction or distribution is prohibited without permission.

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Longtime Pot-Smoker Seeks To Be Governor (A Feature Article
In 'The Sacramento Bee' About Medical Marijuana Patient Steve Kubby,
The Libertarian Party Candidate For California Governor)

Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 09:49:19 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Longtime Pot-Smoker Seeks to be Governor
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Arthur Sobey (asobey@ncfcomm.com)
Source: Sacramento Bee (CA)
Contact: http://www.sacbee.com/about_us/sacbeemail.html
Website: http://www.sacbee.com/
Pubdate: Mon, 14 Sep 1998
Author: Dan Bernstein

LONGTIME POT-SMOKER SEEKS TO BE GOVERNOR

* Libertarian candidate trying to shake up race

He is against the death penalty and for the legalization of marijuana,
which he smokes every day for health reasons.

He is against any form of gun control, even if that means allowing people
to walk the streets with military-style assault weapons.

And he wants to phase out California's income tax, thereby cutting state
government spending in half within four years.

He is Steve Kubby, the Libertarian candidate for governor.

An author, magazine publisher and outdoorsman who brims with
self-confidence, Kubby played a key role in the successful 1996 campaign
for Proposition 215, which legalized marijuana for medicinal purposes.

Now, Kubby hopes to shake up the governor's race, saying that the major
party candidates, Republican Dan Lungren and Democrat Gray Davis, agree on
almost every issue and offer stale solutions to the state's problems.

"I think voters are spoiling for a real fight and they haven't got that
yet," said Kubby, a 51-year-old Tahoe City resident. "The debates have been
like watching Tweedledee and Tweedledum. You haven't had the loyal
opposition up there."

Like all minor-party candidates, Kubby is struggling to attract media
attention. But he is also doing a few novel things to distinguish himself
from the rest of the field. For example, half of his ballot pamphlet
statement is written in Spanish, a not-so-subtle effort to woo Latino
voters.

The statement concludes with a bang: "Kubby opposes such governmental
agencies as the INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service) and the IRS
(Internal Revenue Service), which terrorize the citizenry; government
welfare agencies, which destroy people's independence; and the war on
drugs, which disproportionately punishes Hispanics."

Kubby, who has written two books on his political views and publishes
Alpine World, an on-line recreation magazine, said he joined the
gubernatorial race because the Libertarian Party of California asked him to
run.

He said the only office he previously sought was membership on the board of
the Northstar ski resort. He served from 1986 to 1988.

A Libertarian Party official confirmed that Kubby was recruited, even
though he has been a dues-paying party member for only a few years. "He
seems to have a good head on his shoulders," said Mark Hinkle, chairman of
the Libertarian Party of California. "He communicates well, and is firmly
grounded in Libertarian principles."

Kubby said many of his political views stem from his experience with the
medical use of marijuana during the past two decades.

That experience began in 1975, when Kubby was diagnosed with cancer of the
adrenal glands. After two major operations to remove tumors in his abdomen,
he said he was told in 1976 that he had only six months to live.

During that period, he said, friends gave him some marijuana to cheer him
up. To his surprise, he said, it stabilized his blood pressure and heart
rate.

Today, Kubby's cancer is in remission. Although doctors have been unable to
explain a connection between marijuana and control of the disease, Kubby
said he is convinced that smoking marijuana regularly has kept him alive.

"This medicine moderates my blood pressure and allows me to pursue an
active lifestyle," he said. "When I go off this medicine, the symptoms of
my disease return."

Since he began using marijuana, Kubby said, he has lived in constant fear
that his home would be raided by police, and he would be arrested and sent
to prison. It has never happened, but Kubby said he resents that the
government has the ability to prosecute him for trying to stay healthy.

"I have had to spend 23 years as a well-respected member of the community,
knowing that at any time police could kick down my door and take my child
away," he said. "It has sensitized me to what minorities have to deal with
on a daily basis.

"We've got to grow up and realize that drugs are here to stay, and it is
better to deal with them the same way we deal with alcohol -- by regulating
them instead of trying to prohibit them."

Kubby said the United States should emulate England and Switzerland. The
crime rates in those countries dropped, he said, after their governments
decided to provide heroin addicts with the drugs they craved.

Kubby's criticism of the U.S. government's "war on drugs" figures
prominently in two books he has written: the Politics of Consciousness,
published in 1994, and Why Marijuana Should be Legal, published in 1996.

Kubby said his central belief that people should be allowed to do anything
they want as long as it does not harm others extends to possessing weapons.

"Every year, more and more guns are seized, and more laws are passed
against ownership of guns," he said. "But communities that have gun control
are more likely to have burglaries and crime. . . . These feel-good laws
end up entrapping law-abiding citizens and they get hurt."

Asked if he would be willing to allow people to carry assault weapons in
public as long as they don't fire them, Kubby paused for a moment, and then
answered "yes." But he added that juveniles should not have that right.

Although he believes in tough sentences for violent criminals, Kubby said
he opposes the death penalty -- at least in the hands of the government.

He noted that both Lungren and Davis have touted their strong support for
the death penalty. But he claimed they are "wimps because the death penalty
they call for hardly ever gets instituted and has no deterrent value."

"The death penalty is appropriate when someone breaks into your house and
tries to rape your wife," Kubby said. "I'd like to see citizens empowered
to use lethal force to defend themselves."

Kubby also is a strong believer in vouchers for public school students,
saying that market forces will improve teacher performance and rid schools
of drugs and violence. "A centrally-planned, government-run school system
like we have here is more appropriate for Russia or North Korea."

Among his goals is to phase out the state's income tax, which generates
about $27 billion a year, or half of the state's general fund budget. Kubby
said he could still balance the budget by eliminating all state "prevention
programs" and clearing most non-violent criminals out of prisons.

Despite running a full-time campaign, Kubby is realistic about his
political prospects, saying he would be "thrilled" to get 5 percent of the
vote on Nov. 3. Hinkle, the party chairman, said he would be pleased if
Kubby gets at least 2 percent, which would exceed the 1.7 percent received
by Richard Rider, the 1994 Libertarian candidate for governor.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

LAPD Chief Bernard Parks' Daughter In Trouble For Drugs
(An MSNBC Newscast By KNBC Says The 37-Year-Old Daughter
Of Los Angeles' Police Chief, A Civilian Employee Of The Police Department,
Was In A Las Vegas Courtroom Monday To Be Apprised Of Charges
That She Drove A Car Used In The Alleged Sale Of 20 Grams Of Cocaine
To Undercover Officers Last June)

From: "W.H.E.N. - Bob Owen" (when@olywa.net)
To: "-News" (when@hemp.net)
Subject: LAPD Chief Bernard Parks' daughter in trouble for drugs
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 18:04:49 -0700
Sender: owner-when@hemp.net

Source: MSNBC
Home: http://www.msnbc.com
http://www.msnbc.com/local/KNBC/14775.asp
Writer: No byline
Newshawk: ccross@november.org

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 14 - Police Chief Bernard Parks' daughter was in a Las
Vegas courtroom Monday to be apprised of charges that she drove a car used
in the alleged sale of 20 grams of cocaine to undercover officers last June.

Michelle Parks, 37, will be arraigned Sept. 29 on allegations that she
conspired to sell cocaine and trafficked in cocaine, said Barbara Schell of
the Clark County District Attorney's Office.

A Las Vegas police spokesperson said the LAPD civilian employee came to
court voluntarily and was released on her own recognizance. Las Vegas police
detained Parks Aug. 11, but wasn't charged, according to broadcast reports.

The Clark County District Attorney's Office received the case that same day,
and before that a warrant had been reportedly issued for her arrest.

But the warrant was quashed for some reason.

Cmdr. Dave Kalish of the Los Angeles Police Department said Parks, a
clerk/typist who had worked for the department about 18 months, is on
medical leave.

Kalish declined further comment "as a matter of policy," saying the case is
being investigated by another police agency. An internal and routine LAPD
investigation reportedly also is under way.

Parks, who was present at her father's City Hall coming out ceremony after
he was selected chief to succeed Willie Williams, would face firing from the
LAPD if convicted, under the agency's "zero tolerance" drug rule.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Guarding The Truth About State Prison ('The San Jose Mercury News'
Notes Campaign Discussions About The California Gubernatorial Race
Are Skirting The Issue Of Brutality By Guards At Corcoran State Prison
And Dan Lungren's Inability To Prosecute Anyone For It -
Even As '60 Minutes' Is Planning A Piece About The 43 Inmates
Who Were Wounded There And Seven Who Were Killed
Between 1989 And 1995)

Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 05:56:45 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US CA: Guarding The Truth About State Prison
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Marcus/Mermelstein Family (mmfamily@ix.netcom.com)
Source: San Jose Mercury News (CA)
Contact: letters@sjmercury.com
Website: http://www.sjmercury.com/
Pubdate: Mon, 14 Sep 1998

GUARDING THE TRUTH ABOUT STATE PRISON

While everyone's interest is focused on Washington these days, one of the
simmering issues that may soon come to the fore in California's election is
the brutality of the psion guards at Corcoran State Prison. We're told "60
Minutes" is planning a piece on Corcoran, where 43 inmates were wounded and
seven were killed by officers from 1989 to 1995. The political dimensions
of this touch on attorney general and gubernatorial candidate Dan Lungren,
whose office did a limited investigation of Corcoran that produced no
criminal charges. Two months ago, the Los Angeles Times did an exhaustive
piece concluding that probes by Lungren and Gov. Pete Wilson's
administration had "whitewashed" allegations of brutality at the central
California prison.

Some cases were hair-raising indeed. The Times reported Corcoran guards had
put a 120-pound inmate into the same cell as a 230-pound inmate "enforcer"
known as the "Booty Bandit," who raped him repeatedly. The assaulted
inmate's sin: He had kicked a female guard.

A federal grand jury has since indicted eight officers on charges of setting
up inmate fights. It's still inclear how much attention "60 Minutes" will
devote to the attorney general's investigation. But we understand there is
concern in the Lungren camp that the CBS piece by veteran reporter Mike
Wallace could be negative. Our sources and the Times piece suggest that
Lungren's office and corrections investigators did have reports of the
"Booty Bandit" incident and were unable to make the case. Lungren,
meanwhile, has defended his probe, calling the criticism "a bunch of crap"
and saying he didn't want to interfere with a federal investigation taking
place at the same time. "There was a thorough and complete investigation,
and the legislative hearings bear that out," said Department of Justice
communications director Rob Stutzman.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Tax On Illegal Drugs In Jeopardy (An 'Associated Press' Article
In 'The Augusta Chronicle' Says A South Carolina Law Requiring Sellers
Of Illegal Drugs Such As Marijuana To Pay Taxes May Be Nullified
By A North Carolina Lawsuit Challenging A Similar Law)

Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 05:56:45 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: US SC: Tax On Illegal Drugs In Jeopardy
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: compassion23@geocities.com (Frank S. World)
Source: The Augusta Chronicle (GA)
Contact: letters@augustachronicle.com
Website: http://www.augustachronicle.com/
Pubdate: Sep. 14 at 10:17 PM
Author: Associated Press

TAX ON ILLEGAL DRUGS IN JEOPARDY

GREENVILLE, S.C. -- A South Carolina law requiring dealers to pay taxes on
illegal drugs like marijuana may be in jeopardy because of a North Carolina
lawsuit challenging a similar law, state officials say.

The law requires brightly colored tax stamps affixed to every gram of
illicit drugs sold. South Carolina has sold about 300 stamps in the past
five years, mostly to collectors.

The similar law in North Carolina has been overturned by a federal appeals
court and goes before the U.S. Supreme Court next month, which worries South
Carolina regulators.

``Our law is based on the North Carolina law in some detail,'' said Danny
Brazell, a South Carolina Revenue Department spokesman. ``It could certainly
affect us if the courts rule against North Carolina.''

South Carolina is not alone in closely watching the case. The other states
with the tax are: Alabama, Connecticut, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maine,
Massachusetts, Montana and Nebraska.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the North Carolina drug
stamp law, saying its primary thrust was as a criminal penalty, not a
revenue-raising tax. The tax levies could submit drug dealers to a second
round of punishment for a single crime, or double jeopardy, the court said.

The federal panel cited the high fines for violating the law, nearly eight
times the street value of the drugs. North Carolina collects about $5
million annually, with nearly 75 percent of that going to the local police
agencies making the arrests.

South Carolina has collected less than $100,000 of the $7.5 million assessed
in 130 cases since the law went into effect in 1993. The stamps range from
$3.50 for a gram of marijuana to $2,000 for 50 doses of a controlled
substance, such as LSD.

The Revenue Department has just one person overseeing the program, which
makes it hard to track drug seizures and make cases statewide, Mr. Brazell
said.

State officials also say local police are not inclined to enforce the tax
law because their emphasis is on keeping the money they make from drug
forfeitures that helps pay for anti-drug programs and for bulletproof vests,
helicopters and other police equipment, [as]The Greenville News[xs] reported
Monday.

Greenville lawyer Chip Price, who previously challenged North Carolina's
law, said the South Carolina law has been used more for show than as an
enforcement mechanism.

``It was created by the Legislature simply as another get tough on crime
stance,'' he said.

University of South Carolina drug expert Andrew Chishom also questioned
whether the law can make a difference unless it is used against more than
just street-level pushers.

``How beneficial can it be unless it is used against the people who are the
big dealers, who make a good livelihood off selling drugs,'' he said.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

First Ever Medicinal Marijuana Vote To Be On Tuesday - Finally (A Bulletin
From The Marijuana Policy Project In Washington, DC, Says The US House
Of Representatives Will Vote Tuesday On House Resolution 372,
Now House Joint Resolution 117, The Anti-Medical Marijuana Vow Of Ignorance -
Please Call Or Fax Your Representative Tuesday Morning)

Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 23:49:21 -0400
From: Marijuana Policy Project (MPP@MPP.ORG)
Organization: Marijuana Policy Project
Reply-To: MPP@MPP.ORG
Sender: owner-mppupdates@igc.apc.org
Subject: First ever medicinal marijuana vote to be on Tuesday -- finally!
To: MPPupdates@igc.org

URGENT ALERT

House Joint Resolution 117, the anti-medicinal marijuana resolution,
will be brought up for a vote on the floor of the U.S. House of
Representatives on Tuesday, September 15. Whether or not you
previously asked your U.S. representative to vote against House
Resolution 372 -- which is identical to House Joint Resolution 117 --
please call or fax him or her on TUESDAY MORNING to tell him or her
to vote "NO."

(House Joint Resolution 117 declares that "Congress is unequivocally
opposed to legalizing marijuana for medicinal use." While this
resolution would not create any new laws, it is intended to send a
message to the states that they should not change their medicinal
marijuana laws like California did in 1996.)

Most of you can and should keep your calls brief: Please ask
whomever answers the phone to tell his or her boss to vote "NO" on
House Joint Resolution 117.

Doctors, patients, and others with a compelling personal story to
tell: Please ask for the staff member who deals with medicinal
marijuana and explain why it is so important to you that he or she
tell his or her boss to vote "NO" on House Joint Resolution 117.

PLEASE MAKE YOUR CALLS ON TUESDAY MORNING.
Wednesday, it will be too late.

Some reasons that your U.S. representative should vote "NO" on House
Joint Resolution 117:

House Joint Resolution 117 declares that "Congress is unequivocally
opposed to legalizing marijuana for medicinal use." If your U.S.
representative votes for this resolution, that would mean that he
or she wants to keep the laws as they are, which is that seriously
ill people risk being arrested and sent to prison for using
medicinal marijuana.

House Joint Resolution 117 is wrong because there is substantial
clinical evidence that marijuana has legitimate medical uses.
Indeed, marijuana's primary active ingredient, THC, is available by
prescription to treat cancer chemotherapy and AIDS wasting syndrome.

House Joint Resolution 117 is an inappropriate attempt by Congress
to intimidate and interfere with legitimate, constitutionally
protected state policies.

"Perhaps Representative ____ opposes medicinal marijuana except for
a few special cases where a terminally ill patient is not
responding to any conventional therapies. If that is what
Representative _____ believes, then he/she is not 'unequivocally
opposed' to medicinal marijuana. Therefore, he/she should vote 'no'
on House Joint Resolution 117."

***

To find out the name of your U.S. representative (on the Web):

First, find out your ZIP+4 ...
http://www.usps.gov/ncsc/lookups/lookup_zip+4.html

Then, use it to get the name of your U.S. representative ...
http://www.house.gov/zip/ZIP2Rep.html

TO CALL: To call your U.S. representative's office, please call the
congressional switchboard operator at 202-225-3121. The
operator will ask you for your zip code if you do not know
who your U.S. representative is.

TO FAX: To fax your U.S. representative, please call your U.S.
representative's office for his or her fax number.

TO E-MAIL: Please DO NOT e-mail your U.S. representative unless you
have already called or faxed. Chances are, by the time you
receive a generic reply to your e-mail, the vote will
have already taken place.

***

HOW TO SUPPORT THE MARIJUANA POLICY PROJECT:

To support MPP's work and receive the quarterly newsletter,
"Marijuana Policy Report," please send $25.00 annual
membership dues to:

Marijuana Policy Project (MPP)
P.O. Box 77492
Capitol Hill
Washington, D.C. 20013
http://www.mpp.org/membrshp.html
202-232-0442 FAX

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Anti-Medical Use Vote In Congress (A Similar Bulletin
From Keith Stroup Of NORML, Issued Earlier In The Day)

From: RKSTROUP@aol.com
Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 10:51:37 EDT
To: "DRCTalk Reformers' Forum" (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Subject: Anti-medical use vote in Congress
Reply-To: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: owner-drctalk@drcnet.org

Friends:

The anti-medical use of marijuana resolution (formerly know as H.Res.
372) in the House of Representatives, now know as H.J.Res.117, is on the
calendar for debate and a floor vote either late Tuesday, or more
probably Wednesday morning. If you have not previously contacted your
House member to urge opposition to this resolution, please do now. Those
who need help identifying their member of Congress, or who would like to
send a free fax opposing this measure, can do so from the NORML web site
(www.norml.org).

Rep. John Conyers, the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee,
is a supporter of the medical use of marijuana and was initially planning
to manage the time allotted to the opponents of this measure. Because he
is currently dealing with the Star report, it is unclear whether he or
someone else will now coordinate the opposition.

There is likely little we can do to stop the Republicans from adopting
this ill-advised and ignorant resolution, but we do hope to present the
best arguments for permitting the medical use of marijuana from those
members of Congress who are on our side.

I'll post additional information regarding this upcoming vote as it
becomes available.

Keith Stroup
NORML

-------------------------------------------------------------------

DARE To Hold Postmark Design Contest For Children Ages 8 To 12
(A PRNewswire Release From DARE America Indicates The Privately Owned,
Police-Administered Drug Abuse Resistance Education Program Will Unveil
A Winning Design At The White House On April 9, After Which It Will Appear
On Millions Of Pieces Of Mail)

From: GDaurer@aol.com
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 00:59:59 EDT
To: "DRCTalk Reformers' Forum" (drctalk@drcnet.org)
Subject: 32 cent D.A.R.E.?
Reply-To: drctalk@drcnet.org
Sender: owner-drctalk@drcnet.org

LOS ANGELES, Calif., Sept. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- D.A.R.E. America announced plans
today for a national Postmark Design Contest to promote drug-free, violence-
free lifestyles among America's youth.

Joining forces with the United States Postal Service, D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse
Resistance Education), the leading worldwide drug and violence prevention
education program, is inviting school children ages 8 to 12 to create a
pictorial postmark that reflects their commitment to and understanding of
D.A.R.E. and its goals. The winning design will be unveiled at the White
House on April 9, at the annual National D.A.R.E. Day celebration, and will
appear on millions of pieces of mail next Spring.

"We are delighted that the United States Postal Service has agreed to support
D.A.R.E. in its effort to encourage America's youth to resist drugs and
violence," said Glenn Levant, President and Founding Director of D.A.R.E.
America. "The Postmark Design Contest will support our in-school education
program by helping to deliver D.A.R.E.'s positive messages in a new and
interesting way to millions of school children. Additionally, when the
winning design is delivered across the nation, it will reinforce D.A.R.E.'s
message of resisting drugs and violence."

More than 200 inner-city school children at Hoover Street Elementary School in
Los Angeles joined D.A.R.E. America and the United States Postal Service in
announcing the contest. As part of the celebration, each student signed their
name to a giant billboard pledging to be "drug free and proud of it."

"We are pleased to cooperate with D.A.R.E. America on the National Postmark
Design Contest," said Azeezaly Jaffer, Executive Director of Stamp Services,
U.S. Postal Service. "By lending our support to this program we can continue
our efforts to reach out to local communities."

The D.A.R.E. Postmark Design Contest will launch in schools across the country
in October of this year, with entries accepted through February 1999. Contest
rules and materials will be distributed to millions of school children
throughout the United States and will be available at the official D.A.R.E.
website (www.dare-america.com). The winning design will be selected from
eleven regional finalists by a panel of judges including celebrities, artists
and Postal Service officials. The student who creates the winning design will
be a featured guest at the annual National D.A.R.E. Day celebration at the
White House in Washington, D.C.

For more information about the contest, call Ralph Lochridge at D.A.R.E.
America at 1-800-223-D.A.R.E.

SOURCE D.A.R.E. America

CO: D.A.R.E. America; United States Postal Service

ST: California

IN: EDU

SU:

09/14/98 21:00 EDT http://www.prnewswire.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Three More Bodies Found In Juarez ('The San Antonio Express-News'
Says The Bodies - One Of A Wealthy Rancher - Were Found Stuffed In The Trunk
Of A Car In The Border Town Of Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, In What Police Said
Friday Were Drug-Related Killings, Bringing The City's Toll For The Week
To Seven)

Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 19:06:04 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Mexicco: 3 More Bodies Found In Juarez
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: adbryan@onramp.net
Source: San Antonio Express-News (TX)
Contact: letters@express-news.net
Website: http://www.expressnews.com/
Pubdate: Mon, 14 Sep 1998
Author: Jodi Bizar, Special to the Express-News

3 MORE BODIES FOUND IN JUAREZ

CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico -- The bodies of three men -- one a wealthy rancher
-- were found stuffed in the trunk of a car in what police here said Friday
were drug-related killings.

Their deaths brought to seven the number of people in this border city who
have died this week in drug-related killings.

"They have the signature of a drug-related execution," Jorge Lopez Molinar,
a Chihuahua state prosecutor, said.

The bodies were found late Thursday, but Lopez said: "They appear to have
been dead about 24 hours by the time we found them."

He identified one the victims as David Daniel Ramirez Rodriguez, owner of
several ranches.

The three appeared to have been strangled, Lopez continued. They were
wrapped in dark-colored sheets, with plastic bags around their heads, and
their mouths were sealed with duct tape, he said.

They were found in the trunk of a car reported stolen in El Paso, just
across the Rio Grande from this city.

The car was in a parking lot, and police searched it after neighbors
complained about smelling something rancid coming from it.

At least 50 people have been killed in drug-related violence since July
1997 -- when Amado Carrillo Fuentes, who headed a drug cartel based here,
died in Mexico City while undergoing plastic surgery to change his appearance.

Carrillo's death touched off a struggle over who would control his empire
and battles over unpaid debts.

Police made another grisly discovery Monday when the bodies of four
businessmen from Chihuahua City were found in the trunk of another
abandoned car on the outskirts of town.

The men, all telecommunications experts, had been hired to help police here
develop a system to eavesdrop on suspected narcotics traffickers. However,
other details of their deaths were not made public.

Arturo Chavez Chavez, state attorney general, said he has asked the FBI and
the El Paso Intelligence Center, a multi-agency organization that collects
and distributes information on drug trafficking, to help solve the deaths
of the four communications experts.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Rising Star In Mexico Cocaine Trade Killed - Report ('Reuters'
Says Rafael Munoz Talavera, Described By The US Drug Enforcement
Administration As An Emerging Drug Kingpin, Was Gunned Down Thursday
In Ciudad Juarez And Found Stuffed In An Armored Pick-Up Truck)

Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 19:21:35 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Mexico: Rising Star In Mexico Cocaine Trade Killed - Report
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: isenberd@DynCorp.com (Isenberg, David)
Pubdate: Mon, 14 Sep 1998
Source: Reuters

RISING STAR IN MEXICO COCAINE TRADE KILLED - REPORT

MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - A man allegedly trying to become the godfather
of the Mexican drugs trade was gunned down Thursday in the northern
border city of Ciudad Juarez, state news agency Notimex reported
Friday. Rafael Munoz Talavera, described by the U.S. Drug Enforcement
Administration as an emerging drug kingpin, was found stuffed in an
armored pick-up truck in a suburb of the city, which has been hit hard
by drug violence recently, the news agency said. Hugo Chavez, a
spokesman for the state attorney general's office in northern
Chihuahua state, said residents in the Juarez suburb of El Colegio
reported an abandoned vehicle with a body slumped inside early
Thursday to police.

Juarez lies across the border from El Paso, Texas.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Cultivating A Following ('The Montreal Gazette' Says The Bloc Pot,
A Quebec Group Recognized As An Official Political Party
By The Chief Electoral Officer In March, Is Set To Run At Least 11 Candidates
In The Next Election)

Date: Mon, 14 Sep 1998 14:56:10 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: Canada: Cultivating A Following
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Patrick Henry (resist_tyranny@mapinc.org)
Source: Montreal Gazette (Canada)
Contact: letters@thegazette.southam.ca
Website: http://www.montrealgazette.com/
Pubdate: Mon, 14 Sep, 1998
Author: Paul Cherry

CULTIVATING A FOLLOWING

Legalized marijuana would boost tourist trade,
new Bloc Pot contends

If there is indeed the whiff of a provincial election in the air, the
law-abiding among us might want to refrain from inhaling.

The Bloc Pot, a provincial party that claims more than 200 members,
yesterday outlined its plans to work for the legalization of marijuana. It
was recognized as an official party by the chief electoral officer in March.

The Bloc Pot's first goal is to decriminalize personal possession: the laws
prohibiting marijuana possession would stand but provincial authorities
would not enforce them. The party's platform considers holding 28 grams or
lower as personal possession. The next step would be to have marijuana
removed from the list of prohibited drugs under Canada's Criminal Code.

Set to run at least 11 candidates in the next election, party president Marc
St. Maurice said he has realistic aspirations. He cited the 1996 New Zealand
election, in which the Aotearoa Legalize Cannabis Party - one party among
21 - garnered 1.8 per cent of the popular vote, as a significant step
forward for the pro-marijuana movement.

"I think we can do more than that, and it was that party's first experience.
In by-elections, that number went up to 4 per cent," St. Maurice, 29, said
after being elected president during the Bloc Pot's first general assembly.

He said he's convinced a number of Quebecers are willing to set aside
constitutional matters, the economy and the state of the health-care system,
and vote for a party whose sole goal is to promote the legalization of
marijuana.

"There are people out there who won't mention it in surveys, because it's a
taboo, but will vote for us," he said.

St. Maurice said legalization for medicinal purposes is only one argument
the party is making. The party contends gang violence would decrease if
marijuana was not sold on the black market.

It also suggests the province would generate additional tax revenues if
marijuana is sold by authorized dealers, and that legalizing the drug would
boost Quebec's tourist industry.

In March, the Bloc Quebecois called for a full parliamentary debate on the
legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. This month, a man who
police say grew up to $50,000 worth of marijuana was granted a discharge by
a British Columbia judge who accepted his argument that he used the drug to
battle glaucoma.

In December, an Ontario judge ruled that Canada's pot laws unfairly denied a
Toronto epileptic the right to an effective medication for his condition.
Ottawa is appealing that decision.

The Bloc Pot set out yesterday on a recruitment campaign to find candidates
to run in each of the province's 125 ridings.

"Whether an election is called now or next spring, we'll be ready," St.
Maurice said. "I've traveled in many areas of the province and ... there's
always a s--t disturber somewhere who might be interested in running for
us."

Premier Lucien Bouchard has until next September to call an election.

St. Maurice said he has organized many pro-legalization demonstrations since
being arrested for marijuana possession six years ago. He said the party's
name is derived from the Bloc Quebecois because both are one-issue parties,
but the Bloc Pot won't take sides on separatist-federalist issues.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

International Olympic Committee - No Jail For Suspect Athletes
('The Los Angeles Times' Says The IOC Declared Its Opposition Monday
To Athletes Being Jailed For Taking Banned Performance-Enhancing Drugs,
Rejecting Last Month's Proposal By The Australian Olympic Committee
That The Penalty For Possession, Manufacturing, Trafficking Or Use
Of Steroids Or Other Banned Substances Should Be The Same As Those
For Illicit Drugs)

Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 19:37:46 -0700
From: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org (MAPNews)
To: mapnews@mapinc.org
Subject: MN: IOC: No Jail For Suspect Athletes
Sender: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Reply-To: owner-mapnews@mapinc.org
Organization: Media Awareness Project http://www.mapinc.org/lists/
Newshawk: Jim Rosenfield
Source: Los Angeles Times (CA)
Contact: letters@latimes.com
Fax: 213-237-4712
Website: http://www.latimes.com/
Pubdate: September 14, 1998
Author: Stephen Wilson, AP Sports Writer

IOC: NO JAIL FOR SUSPECT ATHLETES

SEOUL, South Korea--The International Olympic
Committee declared its opposition Monday to the
possibility of athletes being jailed for taking banned
performance-enhancing drugs. The Australian Olympic Committee last
month said the penalty for possession, manufacturing, trafficking and
use of steroids and other banned substances should be the same as
those for illicit narcotics.

Under the proposal, anyone importing large amounts of
performance-enhancers into Australia could be jailed for life. An
athlete caught using doping substances could also face criminal charges.

There has been speculation the proposal could raise the prospect of an
athlete being put in prison for failing a drug test during the 2000 Sydney
Games. But AOC president John Coates said Monday he never proposed
that athletes should be jailed for a positive test, only if they were caught
trafficking in large amounts of drugs.

But the IOC executive board, which opened a four-day
meeting Monday, apparently was under the impression that Australia was
proposing jail terms for athletes caught using drugs. While drug
traffickers should face criminal prosecution, athletes should be
sanctioned by sports bodies, IOC leaders said. "There is quite a bit
of consensus that jail should be reserved for the traffickers,
dealers, suppliers and true criminals," IOC director general Francois
Carrard said. "The athletes should be subjected to the sanctions of
the world of sports."

Carrard said the IOC would be put in a difficult position if athletes
faced the possibility of jail sentences. "The IOC has to comply with
the law in every country," he said. "If the prospect of having
athletes threatened with spending time in jail becomes a full reality,
this would create some discomforts." However, Carrard expressed
confidence that some compromise will be reached and said there was no
reason to speculate about moving the games out of Australia. "I cannot
imagine the IOC moving the games out of Sydney," he said. "But I
cannot imagine athletes in jail either.

We are confident there will be very reasonable solutions for all the
parties." Jacques Rogge, an executive board member from Belgium and
head of the IOC's oversight panel for the Sydney Games, said Australia
would face serious repercussions if it imposed jail terms on athletes.
"Australia would isolate itself from the rest of the world of
international sport," he said. "I doubt any big international
competitions would be awarded to Australia in the future. "I
understand the emotion, but we hope Australia would go along with what
other countries are doing.

We need governments to track down and imprison the dealers and
traffickers. Let the sports movements take care of the athletes." IOC
vice president Dick Pound of Canada said governments can help by
listing steroids as controlled substances and prosecuting traffickers.
But he said athletes caught using drugs should be limited to
suspensions or fines by sporting bodies. "Athletes should not be
jailed for non-criminal offenses," he said. Drugs was the main topic
at Monday's executive board meeting as officials discussed
preparations for a world anti-drug conference to be held at Lausanne,
Switzerland, Feb. 2/4. The conference, which was called in the wake of
the drug scandals which marred the Tour de France, will finalize plans
for the creation of a special Olympic agency to coordinate
drug-testing throughout the world.

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