Medical Marijuana Initiative Qualifies For November Ballot in Alaska |
MEDICAL MARIJUANAMay-June 1998 |
A measure to permit the medical use of marijuana qualified for the November ballot in Alaska, the State Division of Elections announced on April 21. Alaskans for Medical Rights gathered 25,090 signatures following a 30-day extension to the petition effort. The group needed to gather signatures of 24,251 registered voters for the measure to qualify. The group was 1,068 shy of that number when it turned in petitions in January to the Elections Division. The initiative would allow patients to use marijuana for treatment if their doctors found they had debilitating medical conditions, and would provide for a confidential registry of patients who use marijuana for medical purposes ("Medical Marijuana Put on Ballot," Anchorage Daily News, April 22, 1998; "Alaskans Will Vote on Marijuana Medical Use," Orange County Register, April 25, 1998).
Alaskans for Medical Rights - Jim Kentsch, 634 K Street, Anchorage, AK 99501, Tel: (907) 276-4704, Fax: (907) 276-4701, E-mail: <pequod@alaska.net>.