Alaska Voters to Consider Medical Marijuana Use

April 23, 1998 - Reuters

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, -- Alaska voters in November will be asked to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes. A question on the subject will be placed on the November general election ballot, the result of a petition drive that collected 25,090 verified signatures of registered voters, a spokesman for Lt. Gov. Fran Ulmer said Thursday.

James Kentch, one of the sponsors of the petition drive, said Thursday he believes the initiative has a good chance of passing in November. The ballot initiative would allow patients with debilitating medical conditions to use marijana if a doctor determines that the drug will be of help. The initiatve also provides for a confidential registry of patients who use marijuana for medical purposes.

Kentch said he knows of no organized opposition to the ballot initiative.

Voters will also consider initiatives to outlaw billboards, ban the use of neckhold snares for trapping wolves, establish English as the state's official language and have candidates for the U.S. House, Senate or state legislature who make term-limits pledges have that commitment printed by their names on future ballots.

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