cannabisnews.com: State at Front Line in Pot Debate





State at Front Line in Pot Debate
Posted by CN Staff on July 23, 2002 at 14:48:37 PT
By Ed Koch 
Source: Las Vegas Sun 
Nevada is shaping up as a national battleground in the war to make possession of small amounts of marijuana legal. The Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington-based group that advocates the decriminalization of marijuana, collected enough signatures to put an initiative to legalize possession of less than three ounces of pot on the fall ballot.
As Secretary of State Dean Heller held televised forums Monday and today to come up with the language for the question, White House drug czar John Walters prepared to step into the fray Wednesday with a visit to Las Vegas."If the measure passes here, Director Walters feels that it will make Nevada the nation's marketplace for marijuana," Walters' spokesman Tom Riley said. "So this is not just a state issue, but one of national importance."Walters is speaking to 3,000 law enforcement officers attending the national DARE conference this week at the Las Vegas Hilton. His visit is primarily to promote President Bush's National Drug Control Policy Strategy, which calls for a 10 percent reduction in drug use over two years and 25 percent over five years.Walters will also address the implications of Nevada's marijuana ballot question at a news conference Wednesday, and he would have come to Nevada just to address the issue, Riley said.Billy Rogers, spokesman for the Marijuana Policy Project, said opponents are full of "a lot of hot air" in criticizing the petition."Nevadans are independent and are sick and tired of the federal government stepping in and telling them what to do and how to vote on Nevada laws," Rogers said.Rogers said there are safeguards in place because the marijuana measure also calls for strict penalties for people who smoke marijuana in public, sell pot to minors or drive under the influence."The public is pretty smart. It knows the difference between marijuana and hard drugs," he said. "And those who say our ballot question is aimed at opening the floodgates to legalizing all drugs are telling outright lies."Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell said he agrees that Nevadans are independent, but he said they also are aware of potentially dangerous ideas.Bell said he would hope Walters' message in Las Vegas this week "will make it clear that the use of marijuana can lead to serious consequences that people should consider before (supporting those) giving its use credence."Walters will hold a news conference Wednesday after visiting with drug treatment specialists and officials of the Drug Court program, which offers treatment options for minor offenders.At Monday night's forum in Reno, meanwhile, proponents of the state's marijuana initiative had the stage nearly all to themselves. Heller said he invited the Washoe County district attorney to send a representative, but no one from the office appeared.Most of the callers to the hourlong program agreed, voicing their approval of the plan that would also allow the state to open a system of shops to sell small amounts of marijuana.Rogers said scientific evidence shows marijuana is not a "gateway drug" that leads to heroin and cocaine. He said his organization is not in favor of legalizing all drugs, and that it is concerned only with marijuana. Rogers said marijuana is less harmful than cigarettes to a person's health, and that studies show only a small percentage of pot users become addicted. "It is one of the least addictive drugs," he said.Employers, Rogers said, would still be able to conduct random drug tests and make their own decisions on whether to retain or dismiss workers who test positive.Rogers said decriminalizing small amounts of pot would free up the police to concentrate on serious crimes.Only one opponent of the initiative showed up Monday. Betty Kruk of Carson City said she signed the petition but only because she thought it was for medical marijuana. She said she approves of medical marijuana but not recreational use of the drug.Changes in state law made Nevada fertile ground for the war to decriminalize pot, said Rogers, who also serves as spokesman for Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement.Voters twice passed a ballot initiative to make medical use of marijuana legal, and in the last Legislature the law was changed to make possessing less than one ounce of pot a misdemeanor, instead of a felony. Before that action Nevada had one of the strictest marijuana laws in the nation."Because of the action at the last Legislature we believe Nevada's citizens and legislators do not want to not waste tax dollars arresting and prosecuting people for small amounts of marijuana," Rogers said.The current ballot question would change Nevada's constitution to allow a person to possess up to three ounces of marijuana and not be charged with a crime.The question must be approved in November and again in 2004 to become law.Rogers said nationwide, 750,000 arrests were made for marijuana possession in 2000, with each arrest taking four to eight hours in booking and court time.Bell disagreed, saying "these cases are not clogging the system. A number of them go to Drug Court and others are settled with the payments of fines. They don't take up much time at all." Note: Nevada could become 'nation's marketplace for marijuana.Source: Las Vegas Sun (NV)Author: Ed Koch Published: July 23, 2002Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Sun, Inc.Contact: letters lasvegassun.comWebsite: http://www.lasvegassun.com/Related Articles & Web Site:Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Voters Split on Marijuana Issuehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13501.shtmlDEA Director Criticizes Marijuana Ballot Measurehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13388.shtmlMarijuana Proposal To Be On Ballothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13351.shtml
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Comment #9 posted by RavingDave on July 23, 2002 at 23:06:01 PT
Couldn't Have Said It Better Myself
Bell said he would hope Walters' message in Las Vegas this week "will make it clear that the use of marijuana can lead to serious consequences that people should consider before (supporting those) giving its use credence."Amen to that - like the possibility of going to jail for smoking a joint in your own home. That's something I'd seriously consider, before going to the polls and voting for this proposition.It seems to me that there are a substantial number of law-enforcement goons, who are supposed to be tasked solely with enforcing the laws which are on the books, who spend an inordinate amount of time lobbying for or against those self-same laws. Doesn't that constitute a conflict of interest, or am I just fantasizing about a system of checks and balances which doesn't really exist? It makes me wonder when they have time to actually enforce the law, what with all the speeches and lobbying. (What say, Mr. Walters?) 
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on July 23, 2002 at 18:40:42 PT
Heads Up - National Geographic on Addiction
Hi everyone, It's on in my area right now and is very interesting.Tuesday : July 23, 2002 
 
 9 p.m.  Science Times  
 Addiction  
  Also Airs: Wednesday, Jul 24, 12 a.m.  
Sunday, Jul 28, 4 p.m.  
  
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/channel/ 
For millions of people around the world, addiction is a living hell. It destroys careers, families and lives. But scientists are fighting addiction with new technologies and new therapies—and they may be winning the battle. Join scientists as they search for the roots of addiction and craving in the brain and in the genetic code. From compulsive gambling to heroin, the search for answers has just begun. Take a rare look at some of the newest and most controversial treatments that could help addicts reclaim their lives—in a special edition of Science Times.
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Comment #7 posted by FoM on July 23, 2002 at 18:16:00 PT
Off Topic
We just heard a commercial on TV that The 70s Show will be on 5 nights a week starting this Fall. It was a cool commercial too. I love their smoking circle skits they do. 
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Comment #6 posted by freedom fighter on July 23, 2002 at 18:11:34 PT
Can't wait for Mr. Walters
to show up.. There will be no doubt that he is bound to say something soooo stoooopid! Oh, I'm so glad this war criminalizer is on the other side of fence!And let's not forget the Alaska as well as many other states!ff
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on July 23, 2002 at 18:09:18 PT
JAIL
Bell said he would hope Walters' message in Las Vegas this week "will make it clear that the use of marijuana can lead to serious consequences that people should consider before (supporting those) giving its use credence."Yes, consequences such as JAIL!!!unrelated -Connecting The Dots - Insider Trading And 911 
Profits Of Death Part One:
http://www.scoop.co.nz/archive/scoop/stories/a1/bd/200207231750.58b437af.htmlSuppressed Details of Criminal Insider Trading Lead Directly into the CIA’s Highest Ranks:
http://free.freespeech.org/americanstateterrorism/9-11/CIA-WTC.htmlThe CIA's Wall Street Connections:
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/Ramares-Faulkner101701/ramares-faulkner101701.htmlMissing Witnesses & a Massive 9-11 Cover-Up in Florida:
http://www.madcowprod.com/EIGHT of the alleged September 11th Hijackers are Alive:
http://www.worldmessenger.20m.com/alive.htmlFound one of those TIPS idiots? List their names right here! 
http://www.all-the-other-names-were-taken.com/tipstips.htmlAre we headed towards Martial Law?
http://c1.zedo.com//ads2/f/10358/3853/0/0/152009435/152009435/0/152/207/zz-Fns_banner.html
 
Alabama Activates Tank Unit:
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/1,13319,FL_ala_071902,00.html?cat=LEA
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Comment #4 posted by Toad on July 23, 2002 at 16:20:50 PT
Cross Your Fingers
Nevada already has leagalized gambling and prostitution, and the sky has not fallen. In fact it has been great for the economy(residents pay no state income tax). The casino's will remain mute on this one because they know it would increase tourism, but want to come off as moral businessmen.
 
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Comment #3 posted by BGreen on July 23, 2002 at 15:42:44 PT
Well, she can't read, can she write?
"Only one opponent of the initiative showed up Monday. Betty Kruk of Carson City said she signed the petition but only because she thought it was for medical marijuana. She said she approves of medical marijuana but not recreational use of the drug."Did she sign the petition with an "X"?
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Comment #2 posted by VitaminT on July 23, 2002 at 15:20:00 PT
How perfect!
John Walters speaks to the lame leftovers of the discredited DARE program spouting, no doubt, the same stinking bilgewater as he recently did in the Wall Street Urinal! Nevadans are plenty smart enough to know that if it stinks, it's probably ROTTEN!My friends, at least for the next few days in Nevada - things are breaking our way!
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Comment #1 posted by Reeferman on July 23, 2002 at 15:09:15 PT:
Stay out of it gov't
Nevadans are independent and are sick and tired of the federal government stepping in and telling them what to do and how to vote on Nevada laws," Rogers said.
Thats right Rogers smart people are not going to go along with this "Reefer Madness much longer. Even if this does not pass there will be many more states questioning the insane 20th Century laws.
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