cannabisnews.com: Young Nevadans Using Marijuana Young Nevadans Using Marijuana Posted by CN Staff on August 31, 2002 at 08:19:18 PT By Tony Batt, Stephens Washington Bureau Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal First-time marijuana use among Nevada youths ages 12 to 17 is among the highest in the nation, according to a federal report released this week. Nevada tied with Hawaii for seventh among the 50 states, with 7.63 percent of its adolescents trying marijuana for the first time in 1999 and 2000, the report said. Based on national household surveys on drug abuse, the report was released Wednesday in Miami by John Walters, head of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy. During a visit to Las Vegas in July, Walters, also known as the U.S. drug czar, expressed opposition to a Nov. 5 ballot initiative that would legalize the possession of 3 ounces or less of marijuana in Nevada. "Let me be clear, the director opposes any effort to legalize marijuana, but this report was not intended to influence the election in Nevada. This is an annual report," said Jennifer de Vallance, a spokeswoman for Walters. Billy Rogers, a spokesman for Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement which is sponsoring the ballot initiative to legalize marijuana possession, said the report will have "zero impact" on the Nov. 5 election. "Nevadans know there's a big difference between marijuana and hard drugs," said Rogers. "I don't think most Nevadans have a problem allowing responsible adults to possess small amounts of marijuana in the privacy of their own homes." Clark County District Attorney Stewart Bell disagreed, saying the report will undermine claims that marijuana use is not harmful. "This report suggests some percentage of people start with marijuana and move on through the process (to harder drugs) and oftentimes into crime," Bell said. "If we can prevent young people from experimenting with illegal drugs, we are going to have some success in reducing addiction and crime." The report showed 18 percent of people who are at least 26 are drug or alcohol dependent if they began using marijuana before they turned 15. Only 2.1 percent of adults who had never tried marijuana suffered substance abuse problems, the report said. Rogers disputed the report's data, saying 11 million Americans use marijuana but only 1.5 million use cocaine and only 130,000 use heroin. "In the two years cited in the report, Nevada had the most severe laws in the country against marijuana possession. You could be charged with a felony If you were caught with just a marijuana cigarette," Rose said. "I think what the study shows is the strictest laws against marijuana in the country couldn't stop Nevada children from obtaining marijuana." Bell argued that marijuana possession in Nevada is rarely prosecuted as a felony. "In reality, it is treated like a misdemeanor and that is the way it should be," Bell said. "There is no question that if marijuana possession is made lawful that more people will use it." Besides Walters, Drug Enforcement Administration Director Asa Hutchinson also has visited Nevada in recent months and voiced opposition to the ballot initiative to legalize marijuana possession. Calls to Hutchinson's office on Friday were not returned. Bell said he is not working with the Bush administration to defeat marijuana legalization in Nevada. Massachusetts was the leading state for first-time marijuana use for youths 12 to 17, with 8.75 percent, according to the report. Other states ahead of Nevada included Delaware, 8.32 percent; Vermont, 8.30 percent; Arizona, 8.16 percent; Colorado, 7.68 percent; and New Mexico, 7.66 percent.Report: State's rate among highest in nation. Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)Author: Tony Batt, Stephens Washington BureauPublished: Saturday, August 31, 2002Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Review-JournalContact: letters lvrj.comWebsite: http://www.lvrj.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NRLEhttp://www.nrle.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/First-Time Marijuana Users Risk Serious Addictionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13916.shtmlPublic Officials Slam Marijuana Ballot Measure http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13496.shtmlDEA Director Criticizes Marijuana Ballot Measure http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13388.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by The GCW on September 01, 2002 at 19:19:27 PT Non voters, please register and VOTE. There is app. 1 month to register TO VOTE! One of the things that needs to be done, is to make sure that people that are not registered are registered 30 DAYS in advance, of the election.The last 30 days, will require a lot of work, but at that time it will be too late for getting people reg... [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by John Tyler on September 01, 2002 at 07:24:51 PT "News " stories Be prepared to see more of these types of misleading "news" stories. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by JR Bob Dobbs on August 31, 2002 at 22:04:49 PT Ringing the Bell >>"This report suggests some percentage of people start with marijuana and move on through the process (to harder drugs) and oftentimes into crime," Bell said. "If we can prevent young people from experimenting with illegal drugs, we are going to have some success in reducing addiction and crime." Stop young people from experimenting with "illegal drugs"... funny, alcohol is illegal for people under 21, yet we don't hear amything about the "alcohol gateway theory".>>"There is no question that if marijuana possession is made lawful that more people will use it."Doesn't sound like you could possibly have too many more people using it!! I mean, sure, 50% gives you a long way to go - if you assume that everyone will use it if it's legal. But that's not a very fair assumption. What percentage of adult Nevadans drink alcohol?>>Bell said he is not working with the Bush administration to defeat marijuana legalization in Nevada.That's a very vaguely worded statement - does it mean that either of them are working alone to defeat the initiative? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by knox42897 on August 31, 2002 at 15:16:56 PT: pot in schools Hello everyone, I wanted to state the obvious. Marijuana is in every high school in america. It is easier to find marijuana for students than it is for norml working people. This is why we ae trying to legalize marijuana and get it out of the high schools. Piere [ Post Comment ] Post Comment