cannabisnews.com: Plan To Ease Marijuana Laws Wins Ballot Position





Plan To Ease Marijuana Laws Wins Ballot Position
Posted by CN Staff on July 09, 2002 at 21:50:47 PT
By The Associated Press 
Source: Reno Gazette-Journal 
Nevadans will vote in November on a proposal to ease the state's once-harsh marijuana laws, the secretary of state's office said Tuesday. A signature verification process determined that petitioners for a law change to permit possession of up to three ounces of marijuana qualified for a ballot slot, just barely.Susan Bilyeu, deputy secretary of state for elections, said 74,740 signatures turned in by Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement were valid.
More than 34,000 names were tossed out in the verification process from the original petition total of 109,048. But that still left the advocates above the minimum requirement of 61,336 names.The total also had to include 10 percent of the voter turnout in the last election in at least 13 of Nevada's 17 counties, and that requirement was barely met by the petitioners.Bilyeu said the petitioners didn't get the necessary minimum in Elko, Douglas and Nye counties and were only four votes over the minimum in Esmeralda County and just 19 votes over the minimum in Eureka County.Had the petitioners lost Esmeralda and Eureka counties, they would have been blocked from the November ballot because they would have been one shy of the 13-county requirement.Billy Rogers of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement said his group was confident of success despite the close margins in the two rural counties."The success of our petition drive provides solid evidence that most Nevadans think it's a waste of their tax dollars to arrest people for small amounts of marijuana,"Rogers added.Rogers said his organization spent well over $300,000 getting signatures, and now must start mapping out campaign strategies to ensure statewide approval in November.Until last year, Nevada had the strictest marijuana law in the nation. Puffing on a single marijuana cigarette was a felony offense punishable by prison term of a year or more.Such penalties were rarely imposed, and the old law didn't stop Nevadans from approving the use of medical marijuana in 2000. State legislators in 2001 also passed a law making possession of less than an ounce a misdemeanor.If the ballot proposal is approved this year and again in 2004 by voters, Nevada would have one of the most relaxed marijuana laws in the nation.It still would be illegal for minors to possess the drug or for anyone to sell marijuana to minors, and driving-under-the-influence laws would still apply. It also still would be illegal to use marijuana in public.Schools, prisons and casinos are specifically mentioned on the proposal's list of no-smoking sites.Marijuana would be taxed like cigarettes and other tobacco products, and sold in state-licensed shops. And a distribution system would be set up to provide low-cost medical marijuana.Complete Title: Plan To Ease Nevada's Marijuana Laws Wins Ballot PositionSource: Reno Gazette-Journal (NV)Published: July 9, 2002Copyright: 2002 Reno Gazette-JournalWebsite: http://www.rgj.com/Contact: rgjmail nevadanet.comRelated Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Marijuana Petition Qualifies for Ballothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13341.shtmlPetition To Ease Marijuana Law Under Revue http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13331.shtmlThe Drug Legalizers Are At It Againhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13321.shtmlMarijuana Law: Further Loosening Soughthttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13272.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by Lehder on July 10, 2002 at 05:53:04 PT
casinos ought to love relegalization 
Analysts said revenue per available room in Las
                    Vegas may come in flat compared with 2001
                    levels in the quarter as operators managed to
                    squeeze in some rate increases. However,
casino revenues continued to be held down by low visitation - reflecting consumer concerns months
after the events of Sept. 11 , analysts said. Revenue-per-available room was down about 5% in the
quarter, with gaming revenues flat to down 5%, but expenses declined for the operators by about
10% to 15%, said Bear Stearns analyst Jason Ader.
http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/020709/200207091717000693_1.htmlThe casinos may even quietly put some money behind the issue. Then TV broadcasters will finally be forced to do some reporting and it's all over for the drug war. 
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Comment #1 posted by ekim on July 10, 2002 at 04:04:59 PT
MI passed the third largest cigarett tax in Nation
Marijuana would be taxed like cigarettes and other tobacco products, and sold in state-licensed shops. And a distribution system would be set up to provide low-cost medical marijuana. All to balance the 5 hundred million budjet shortfall here left by a completley GOP run state. We here in Kalamazoo are being asked for one hundred and forty eight million for a new jail complex. One of the tricks the police have used to sway the people to vote is sound the alarm about over crowding at the jail. When the inmates are released the TV cameras are there well guess what -- there is allways someone released for cannabis. That means that the jail is packed and we must make room so we will let out those least likely to pose any threat to the people. Well hello-- That is just what we have been trying to find out how many cannabis no threaters are being locked up, to cause overcrowding therefor needing a new hundred and fifty million complex. When all we have to do is TAX cannabis. If anyone has a amount on the Nevada tax that will be generated please post. 
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