AMR Press Release:
Every Place We Have Been on the Ballot We’ve Won.
One Fifth of America Has Now Voted for Medical Marijuana.
It Is Time For The Drug Establishment to Listen to Common Sense.
November 4, 1998Company Press Release
SOURCE: Americans for Medical Rights
Americans for Medical Rights: Every Place We Have Been on the Ballot We’ve
Won. One Fifth of America Has Now Voted for Medical Marijuana. It Is Time For The Drug
Establishment to Listen to Common Sense.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Every place voters were given a chance, they
voted for medical marijuana yesterday. Voters in Alaska, Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and
Washington state officially passed medical marijuana initiatives. According to exit polls,
voters in Washington, DC and Colorado also passed medical marijuana initiatives, but these
results have not been released by election officials. California passed a medical
marijuana initiative in 1996. Combined, these states account for one out of every five
citizens.
Bill Zimmerman, Ph.D., Executive Director of Americans for Medical Rights and author of
"Is Marijuana the Right Medicine for You?" (Keats, 1998) said today: "We won every ballot initiative this year, we won every vote last
time. Voters want doctors to make these choices, not General McCaffrey or police officers.
It is time to make compassionate medical use available and practical.
"We’ll implement these initiatives in these states, and will keep winning in
more states until national policy is changed. These initiatives are not about legalizing
marijuana they are about making compromises in an overly rigid policy on marijuana. We are
now, however, at a point where your right to medicine is determined by where you
live—that must change. If General McCaffrey and the drug establishment won’t
listen to the public, we may have to win in every state.
"The election results showed broad support from all segments of the
electorate—this is not a "liberal-conservative" issue. We won in Nevada,
and we won alongside a Republican Governor. We won in Arizona and Alaska. We won every
county in Washington state. Just as we won Orange County in 1996, we had support from
every type of county yesterday," added Zimmerman.
Medical Marijuana Initiatives & Related Results
"*" is the Pro Medical Rights Position
As of November 4, 1998 -- 11:00 a.m. EST
ALASKA—Measure 8 Medical Marijuana
YES: 58% * NO: 42%
91% of precincts reporting. Source: State of Alaska, Office of the Lt. Governor (http://www.gov.state.ak.us/ltgov/elect98/results.htm)
ARIZONA—Prop. 300 -- (‘No’ vote endorses medical use of illegal drugs)
YES: 43% NO: 57% *
99.8% of precincts reporting. Source: Arizona Secretary of State’s Office (http://www.sosaz.com/results/1998general/BM300.htm)
NEVADA—Question 9 Medical Marijuana
YES: 58% * NO: 41%
95% of precincts reporting. Source: Nevada Secretary of State’s Office (http://www.governet.net/nvsos/Tools/Results/ballot_st_sum.cfm)
OREGON—Measure 67 Medical Marijuana
YES: 55% * NO: 45%
52% of precincts reporting. Source: KGW-TV; KATU-TV has called the race "YES"
(http://kgw.com/electoremeas.asp)
WASHINGTON STATE—Initiative 692
YES: 59% * NO: 41%
latest results, 1.3 million votes counted, called by AP. Source: Washington Secretary
of State’s Office (http://209.43.151.101/vote98/reports/m_statewide.tmpl)
Medical marijuana initiatives were also on the ballot in Colorado and Washington, D.C.,
but political opponents of medical rights prevented the results from being officially
tabulated. AMR performed exit polls in each of the states, the results of which are:
COLORADO—Amendment 19
YES: 61% * NO: 39%
Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates (FMMA) exit poll among those who reported
casting ballots, 5% said they did not vote. Similar results were reported on the basis of
65% of precincts reporting via CBS News.
D.C.—Initiative 59
YES: 69% * NO: 31%
Fairbank, Maslin, Maullin & Associates (FMMA) exit poll, 738 surveyed, margin of
error +/- 3.6%, 12 percent of sample said ‘did not vote’ on I-59
Two additional ballot measures dealt with drug policy.
ARIZONA—Prop. 301 -- (‘No’ vote endorses drug treatment instead of
prison for drug possession)
YES: 48% NO: 52% *
99.8% of precincts reporting. Source: Arizona Secretary of State’s Office (http://www.sosaz.com/results/1998general/BM301.htm)
OREGON—Measure 57 (Would have criminalized possession of marijuana)
YES: 33% NO: 67% *
52% of precincts reporting. Source: KGW-TV (http://www.kgw.com/electoremeas.asp)
SOURCE: Americans for Medical Rights
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