ELECTION'94
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, October 26, 1994
3A
Drug legalization still a hot topic for many
By Shannon Newton Kansan staff writer
When Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders said publicly she wanted to change governmental drug policies, she met with opposition from the Clinton Administration, many other politicians and the media.
When a cartoon published in The University Daily Kansan referred to marijuana as a crutch, the newspaper received letters to the editor in support of and against the legalization of marijuana.
Drugs are a touchy topic these days among students, medical and social welfare experts, and politicians.
Some people argue that the drug war should be eliminated, but others want to keep on fighting the battle.
Chad Perkins, Apple Valley, Minn., sophomore, said he did not feel that controlled substances should be legalized because they
destroyed users' lives.
"I have seen too many of my friends piss their lives away because of drugs," he said. "If they were legal, people would be high 24 hours a day."
But Dave Cook, treasurer of the KU chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the war on drugs was not effective. He said the only thing it worked towards making people rich, increasing crime and killing people.
"The drug problem is caused by governmental policies, not by drugs," he said. "We should legalize drugs and get rid of people's ignorance."
Many of the arguments for the legalization of drugs is their use for medical purposes, most notably the use of marjuana for the treatment of cancer and glaucoma.
Nancy Disterlic, cancer response systems coordinator for the American Cancer Society, said marijuana was effective in treating
cancer patients for pain but that the drug did not fight cancer.
The National Cancer Institute is studying the effects of marijuana in reducing nausea and vomiting caused by chemotherapy, Disteric said. The institute is testing two forms of the drug: marijuana cigarettes and dronabinol, a synthetic form of the drug that is taken orally.
Distericl said researchers at the institute were studying whether dronabinol helped reduce the pain of chemotherapy, but she said they did not believe that it was the most effective drug to control the reactions to chemotherapy.
She said the drug could cause a high and could be unpleasant for older people and for people that were not used to the drug's effects.
Disteric said that the use of marijuana cigarettes was no more effective than the oral method but that it was more hazardous
because of the tar it contained and that the drug could cause head and neck cancer.
John Doane, chief resident of ophthalmology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, said that there was no concrete proof that the use of marijuana was the best drug for people with glaucoma.
The Med Center does not use the drug as an experimental medicine, but Doane said all medicine that could be beneficial to patients should be studied and researched.
"Right now there needs to be more research and controlled studies on the drug's effects," he said. "I only support the use of the drug as research because it is not proven to be the most effective medicine for patients with glaucoma."
Although many politicians have come out against legalizing drugs or have skirted the issue, Baltimore Mayor Kurt Schmoke has publicly called for the legalization of all drugs.
In an article published in the May 5, 1994 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Schmoke wrote that illegal drugs caused too much crime and violence.
In an article titled, "Ease Effects," Schmoke wrote, "The enormous profits available from the sale of drugs creates crime. Drug traffickers kill to protect or seize drug turf, and addicts commit crimes to get money for drugs."
But Tom Gregoir, research assistant of social welfare, said he did not think legalizing drugs would make any kind of long-term impact on American society.
Before working at the University, Gregoire was a drug rehabilitation counselor for 10 years.
"Legalizing drugs would not have any permanent effects. People would still become addicted," he said. "The short-term effect would be more people experimenting with drugs."
GOVERNOR
WHERE THE CANDIDATES STAND
GRAVES — He does not support drug legalization He believes that it is not good public policy to make dangerous and addictive drugs legal. Graves
Bill Graves (R)
believes drug prevention efforts should be aimed at educating children of the danger of illegal drugs at an early age.
Jim Slattery (D)
ATTORNEY GENERAL
SLATTERY
— He does not support drug legalization. As part of his crime program, he would advocate the creation of a pilot drug court program to help reduce
the demand for drugs and reduce property crime.
SCHODORF
He does not support drug legalization. He thinks addicts should be treated in the community for their addictions.
Richard Schodorf (D)
Carla Stovall (R)
STOVAL ALL
She does not support the legalization of any illegal drug.
"Some people think we are losing the drug war," she said.
"But we should not surrender."
U.S. HOUSE — 3RD DISTRICT
HANCOCK
— She does not support drug legalization. "Based on what I know right now, I would not propose any changes," she said. "We need to place
more emphasis on drug prevention and drug treatment."
Jan Meyers (R)
MYERS —
She does not support drug legalization.
"Ifyoulook at the problem of alcohol, one in 15 people who drink probably are alcoholics," she said. "I"
don't want to start down that same path with drugs."
U.S. HOUSE - 2ND DISTRICT
BROWNBACK He does not support drug legalization. He said it would send the wrong message to society.
Sam Brownback
John Carlin (D)
CARLIN — He does not support drug legalization
KANSAS HOUSE 44TH
KANSAS HOUSE — 45TH
BALLARD — She does not support drug legalization. She said she would not vote for it because there was not a clear line to draw. If drugs are excessive or abused, they can be harmful, she said. Society is having a hard time controlling alcohol, cigarettes and legal drugs. It would be difficult to decide what should be legalized and what should not be, she said.
SLOAN — He declined to comment on the issue.
Tom Sloan (R)
Forrest Swall (D)
SWALL — He thinks a serious study should be conducted on the impact of drugs and look at options for dealing with them. He thinks the medicinal benefits of some illegal drugs also need
to be studied and that more money should go to drug treatment than to imprisoning drug offenders.
KANSAS HOUSE — 46TH
FINDLEY
- He does not support drug legalization.
He thinks it would be a step backward for law enforcement.
Troy Findley (D)
KANSAS HOUSE — 47TH
Eric Schmidt (R)
medical benefits of illegal drugs.
SCHMIDT
He does not support drug legalization. He said it had created entire underclasses of drug abusers in other countries, and he doubts the illegal drugs.
Joanne Flower (R)
Charlie Geist (D)
GEIST — He does not support full-scale drug legalization, but he thinks that legalizing marijuana would have some merit because of its medicinal, environmental
and commercial benefits. He does not believe that hemp is more addictive than alcohol.
DOUGLAS COUNTY COMMISSION
BLAIR She declined to comment, saying that drug legalization would not be an issue addressed by the Douglas County Commission.
Mark Buhler(R)
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