That's why they were trying to build a safety cushion over the weekend. People sign for different reasons, they say. Mr. Turner estimates that 60 percent know someone who they think would benefit from the treatment. Another 20 percent don't really have a position but sign because it's an exercise in democracy. Initiative 57 would allow the use of marijuana, on the recommendation of a doctor, by people suffering from such diseases as AIDS, cancer and glaucoma.
Supporters say it can alleviate pain and help some sick people keep food down.
The initiative would not allow the recreational use of marijuana. Drawing on six months of collecting experience, Mr. Turner says women are more likely to sign than men, blacks are more likely than whites, the elderly are good signers, and, he thinks, lefties sign more often than righties. I think he would try it if a doctor recommended it. And there are the few who take it a bit further. Some volunteers were told they couldn't collect signatures in front of a Giant Food store, so organizers tried a test.