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JnEverett

Support short for medical marijuana
Opponents concerned about controlling use
11-08-06 l Argus Leader

A movement to legalize the use of marijuana for medical uses was headed for defeat with partial election results available late Tuesday.

South Dakota's Initiated Measure 4 was patterned after laws in 11 states. Passage looked doubtful at 11 p.m. with 141,734 votes against legalized use compared with 127,713 votes in favor, a 53-47 margin, with 743 precincts out of 818 reporting.

Those against the measure said approval would have led to open use, and the public might think that it is the only medicine effective for certain ailments.

Sioux Falls police chief Doug Barthel said he feared that people would abuse the privilege.

"I think the state will be glad they voted against it, because from an enforcement aspect, I think it would have been a nightmare for us," Barthel said Tuesday night.

"Look at an event like JazzFest where you have thousands of people," he said. "Some who would have been allowed to smoke it would be doing that openly. How would we differentiate between who can and can't?"

Those in favor argued in part that marijuana can relieve seriously ill patients' discomfort and even save lives. But under South Dakota law, patients who use it face a year in prison and a $2,000 fine.

Support came from a group called South Dakotans for Medical Marijuana. A spokesman, Tony Ryan of Sioux Falls, was a police officer in Denver for 36 years. He has family members who suffer from cerebral palsy and multiple sclerosis.

"It would be an option," Ryan said. "They don't need it now, but there might be a day when they need it."

Valerie Hannah of Deerfield supported passage. She uses marijuana in a vaporized form to ease chronic pain of nerve damage she suffered from nerve gas in the Gulf War.

Hannah said legal drugs such as morphine make her feel "like a zombie" and put her in a stupor.

"If it fails, of course it's a disappointment, and very terrifying," she said. "I think we need to provide voters with a better education."