Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - Tuesday, October 29, 1996
"A physician who tries to prescribe a Schedule One drug, with or without this referendum, is subject to prosecution under federal law -- and we will uphold the law," Gen. Barry McCaffrey said in an interview Monday on the Court TV program "Washington Watch."
McCaffrey, the retired general who heads the White House office of national drug control policy, denounced California's Proposition 215 as "a hoax" that would make marijuana available to people, including children, without proper scientific approval and regulation by the Food and Drug Administration.
In the interview, which will be broadcast on Saturday, he called the measure "a quasi-legalized form of marijuana" and suggested that voters would reject it.
Supporters of the proposition, on the California ballot for the Nov. 5 elections, say marijuana helps ease pain for patients suffering from cancer, AIDS and other ailments. They claim that despite existing criminal penalties for marijuana growing and possession, it is currently being used by thousands of patients.
If the initiative passes, seriously ill patients would need a doctor's prescription to use marijuana.
Proposition 215 also is opposed by Republican presidential candidate Bob Dole and California's Republican governor Pete Wilson.
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