Reno: Science, Not Ballots On Marijuana

October 22, 1998 - United Press International

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22 (UPI) -- Attorney General Janet Reno says voters should let science, not the ballot box determine whether marijuana should be used for medical purposes.

Despite current Justice Department opposition, five states and the District of Columbia have medical marijuana initiatives on their November ballots. At her weekly news conference today, Reno said the department was encouraging research into the issue, but, "There is no present scientific support for the medical use of marijuana."

Besides the District of Columbia, voters will face the issue on ballots in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Washington state and Oregon. Voters in Alaska, Nevada, Washington and the District of Columbia can decide whether marijuana should be legal for medical use, while Oregonians can vote for tougher penalties for possession of the drug. The measure on the Arizona ballot not only concerns medical use marijuana and other illegal drugs, but also reduces penalties for general possession of pot. California already has a medical marijuana law, and a federal judge has ordered the Justice Department not to prosecute state doctors who recommend its use. However, the department is fighting the injunction in court. Reno said, "I don't think" the use of marijuana as a medicine "should be made at the ballot box."

Justice Department officials said a report on marijuana's usefulness was expected early next year. The officials acknowledged that there was anecdotal evidence of marijuana's usefulness in combating various "wasting" diseases, glaucoma and the nausea and lack of appetite associated with chemotherapy.

But Reno and the other officials said any official sanction for medical marijuana use must await hard scientific fact.

The possession or distribution of marijuana is still a federal and state crime.

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