The fight over Prop. 36 has drawn high-profile advocates. Actor Martin Sheen is the honorary chairman of Californians United Against Drug Abuse, a committee that opposes Prop. 36. New York billionaire George Soros, who helped fund the 1996 campaign to legalize medical marijuana, has thrown his support and money behind the measure. Sheen and other opponents say that Prop. 36 is misguided and will reduce the effectiveness of the state's drug courts, which allow some users to avoid prison, so long as they follow court-monitored programs of random drug testing and treatment.
Supporters counter that the state's drug courts are open to only a small fraction of drug users.
And, they say, there is nothing within Prop. 36 to keep judges from imposing drug testing and other strict requirements as part of a drug user's probation. Proposition 36 Drugs. For the latest from the campaign trail, go to our Real Cities Campaign 2000 site.