The DC ballot measure protects from criminal prosecution seriously ill patients, such as cancer and AIDS sufferers, who use marijuana for medical treatment.

Despite Forbes' foray into DC politics, local support for Initiative 57 is growing. At their Convention held on Saturday, July 19, the Ward Six Democrats voted to endorse Initiative 57. The initiative sponsor, ACT UP organizer Steve Michael, who HIV positive and recently ran in the Ward Six Council election, is working to gain the support of community organizations throughout the District.

Last week, Archbishop George Augustus Stallings, founder of the African American Catholic Congregation, lent his support to Initiative 57, agreeing to serve on ACT UP's executive steering committee. Stallings ran a close second in the recent DC Council election in Ward Six as the candidate of the Umoja Party.

The DC Green Party, whose members successfully placed Ralph Nader on last year's presidential ballot, have added their organization's support to Initiative 57. They are joined by the nation's oldest Gay rights organization, DC's Gay and Lesbian Activists Alliance (GLAA), and the HIV Community Coalition.

In a news release from his group Americans for Hope, Growth, and Opportunity, Steve Forbes called the organizers of Initiative 57 "twisted drug predators."

ACT UP's Michael responded angrily, "How dare Steve Forbes spend the inheritance from his Gay father fighting a measure that would help people with AIDS."

GLAA's President Rick Rosendell comments, "Steve Forbes supposedly believes in limited government, yet he wants the government to intervene in the relationship between doctors and patients."

ACT UP organizers report that they have collected over 25% of the 16,700 signatures required to place Initiative 57 on the September 1998 ballot.

"This is a local, patient-driven effort. We're grassroots and all-volunteer." says Michael. "Steve Forbes and the Family Research Council are formidable opponents with virtually unlimited resources. It's a challenge. But those of us living with HIV and AIDS are used to challenges."

The petitions are due to be turned in on December 8. Volunteers are needed for a massive effort in the coming weeks. Call the ACT UP office at 202.547.9404 for petition sheets.