cannabisnews.com: Nevada Voters Decide on Legalizing Marijuana Nevada Voters Decide on Legalizing Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on August 26, 2002 at 09:18:30 PT By Tom Gorman, Los Angeles Times Source: Boston Globe The state that legalized prostitution and gambling is now considering whether to condone the private use of marijuana. A voters initiative on the November ballot would permit possession in Nevada of up to 3 ounces of marijuana by persons 21 and older. They would be allowed to smoke it in the privacy of their homes, but not in their car or public places. While law enforcement officials are railing against the measure, state officials are pondering how the state-licensed sale and taxation of marijuana might stoke the state's coffers with tens of millions of dollars annually. Legalizing marijuana by amending the state Constitution is a two-step process. If a simple majority of voters approve the measure in November, it would need to be reaffirmed by voters in 2004. The second vote could be avoided if the measure is adopted next year by the state Legislature, which already has decriminalized possession of marijuana. That course is considered unlikely because most politicians - including Governor Kenny Guinn, a Republican - are not taking a stand on the issue, saying they will defer to the voters' wishes. Nevada is one of nine states that allow the use of marijuana with a doctor's prescription, and one of 11 states that have lowered criminal sanctions for possession of marijuana. Ohio has the nation's most lenient marijuana possession laws, issuing a civil citation and a fine of $100 for possession of up to 100 grams (about 3.5 ounces) of marijuana, according to the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. The organization advocates decriminalizing marijuana use. Only Alaska previously has attempted to legalize possession of marijuana altogether. The 2000 ballot measure didn't ban smoking in public and sought reparations for jailed marijuana users. It was rejected by 59 percent of the voters. Any state measure is likely to run afoul of federal law, which forbids cultivation, possession, and distribution of marijuana. The federal Drug Enforcement Administration has sought to shut down medical marijuana clubs in California. State polls suggest Nevada voters are about evenly split on the question. The state's largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has editorialized on the issue and said the measure ''would end the needless harassment of individuals who peacefully and privately use marijuana.'' The $375,000-petition drive, which collected more than 100,000 signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot, was spearheaded by the Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project. This story ran on page A2 of the Boston Globe on 8/26/2002. Source: Boston Globe (MA)Author: Tom Gorman, Los Angeles TimesPublished: August 26, 2002Copyright: 2002 Globe Newspaper CompanyContact: letter globe.comWebsite: http://www.boston.com/globe/Related Articles & Web Sites:NRLEhttp://www.nrle.org/NORMLhttp://www.norml.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Vote May Affect National Policyhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13805.shtmlAre Nevadans Ready To Roll Dice on Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13765.shtmlPot Proponents Have Good Points http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13757.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Post Comment