cannabisnews.com: Leaders Emerge in Nevada for, Against Pot
Leaders Emerge in Nevada for, Against Pot
Posted by CN Staff on September 27, 2002 at 18:13:45 PT
By Ken Ritter, Associated Press Writer
Source: Associated Press
The debate about Nevada's marijuana decriminalization initiative escalated Friday as the two sides skirmished over who was backing the measure on November's ballot and what Question 9 would accomplish. Backed by the Clark County sheriff, a county prosecutor and an underdog candidate for governor, the head of a Las Vegas anti-drunken driving advocacy group waved a slingshot Friday and pledged a David-versus-Goliath fight against letting Nevada adults possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana.
"We are not going to tolerate an invasion by people impersonating Nevadans who think they can pollute our community and state by legalizing marijuana," Sandy Heverly, Stop DUI leader, said after introducing the new group, Nevadans Against Legalizing Marijuana. The rally came a day after the organizer of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, which put the measure on the ballot, unveiled a campaign chaired by a state assemblywoman who insists that backers of the measure aren't a bunch of pot-loving hippies. "We're just everyday Nevadans who pay our bills, pay our taxes, take care of our families and take care of our animals," Chris Guichigliani, D-Las Vegas, said Friday. Others on the committee include state Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, Nye County Commissioner Dick Carver, and Bob Fulkerson of the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada. Guichigliani said she agreed to head the group after proponents collected nearly 110,000 signatures to get the constitutional measure on the ballot. To take effect it would have to passed by voters Nov. 5 and again in 2004. Campaign manager Billy Rogers, a Texas native backed by the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, argued during the petition drive that it is a waste of time and resources for law enforcement to prosecute minor pot offenders. In recent weeks, the debate has steered toward whether Nevada residents entitled to smoke pot under a 2000 state medical marijuana law can obtain the drug without resorting to back-alley deals. On Friday, Rogers cited Holly Brady, 49, a Las Vegas resident with multiple sclerosis who called marijuana essential to helping her cope with her debilitating symptoms but said she must get her marijuana illegally. "The initiative does two things," Rogers said Friday. "It protects responsible adults who possess small amounts of marijuana in the privacy of their own home, or under the care of a doctor." Gary Booker, a deputy Clark County district attorney and drunken-driving prosecutor, called the medical marijuana access argument a sham and drew cheers from the 100 people at Friday's rally. "They want to play on sympathies. They want to use sick people. We're not having it," Booker declared. Booker and Rogers have sparred for weeks, including a televised debate Wednesday during which Booker wrongly asserted that medical marijuana patients can get seeds from the state Agriculture Department to grow their own pot. The state agriculture office said no such program exists. Sheriff Jerry Keller, who will retire after the Nov. 5 election, told Friday's rally that legalizing pot would be "a public safety nightmare." Deputy Las Vegas police Chief Bill Young and Capt. Randy Oaks, the two leading candidates to replace Keller, both said they oppose Question 9. Heverly hoisted a pickle jar full of what she called fake pot and pledged a campaign featuring two former governors and a former state attorney general, a flurry of letters-to-the-editor and presentations to city councils and civic organizations around the state. Gubernatorial candidate Joe Neal, a Democratic state senator from North Las Vegas, said he doubted the backing and motives of the measure's proponents. "They have taken Nevada to be the beachhead for their cartel," Neal said. Until last year, Nevada had the strictest law in the nation, making it a felony to possess a single marijuana cigarette. Last year, the Legislature made possession of less than an ounce a misdemeanor. Supporters say it should be legal for adults 21 and older to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana. The initiative would tax marijuana like cigarettes and other tobacco products, and allow it to be sold only in state-licensed shops. Public use would be banned and driving under the influence would be illegal. Minors would be prohibited from possessing the drug, and private individuals would not be allowed to sell it. Complete Title: Leaders Emerge in Nevada Campaigns for, Against Legalizing Pot Source: Associated Press Author: Ken Ritter, Associated Press WriterPublished: Friday, September 27, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Associated Press Related Articles & Web Sites:NRLEhttp://www.nrle.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Amsterdam of the Westhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14268.shtmlOne Puff At A Time - Economist UKhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14262.shtmlDiscussion About Pot Initiative Becomes Heated http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14259.shtml
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Comment #7 posted by malleus on September 28, 2002 at 20:30:31 PT
Billion dollar "davids"
So, they see themselves as little David facing humongous Goliath? Don't make me laugh. Seeing as how the vast majority of funding received at local and state levels comes largely as 'grants' doled out by the feds, and that the vast majority of *that* goes to 'fighting' marijuana, then this really deserves some publicly expressed contempt.
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Comment #6 posted by DdC on September 28, 2002 at 01:23:47 PT
MCNAMARA TELLS CALIFORNIA TO STOP ARRESTING USERS!
Date: Fri, 27 Sep 2002 22:21:11 -0700
From: "D. Paul Stanford"
Subject: CA: MCNAMARA TELLS CALIFORNIA TO STOP ARRESTING DRUG USERS September 26, 2002 MCNAMARA TELLS CALIFORNIA TO STOP ARRESTING DRUG USERS AND TO OFFER
VOLUNTARY TREATMENT INSTEAD Sacramento: Retired San Jose Police Chief, and Hoover Institution Research
Fellow Joseph D. McNamara testified as an expert witness on California's
drug and alcohol policies at a hearing held by the Little Hoover Commission
on State Government. McNamara quoted a study originating from the National Academy of Sciences
declaring that the lack of adequate data to judge the impact of the
nation's drug policies was "unconscionable." McNamara said the same may
be said of California's policies, and the state's current fiscal problems
call for changes in an expensive and failing drug policy. He said that using the police in a doomed effort to stop people from using
drugs in private resulted in less enforcement for serious crimes and
discriminated against Hispanics, African-Americans and young
people. Stigmatizing all drug users as criminals and locking them up,
damages their futures, and harms families, communities and all of
California, according to McNamara. He criticized the lack of treatment available for drug users, citing a
federal government study showing that California has more than half a
million people desiring treatment for whom no treatment is available. McNamara recommended to the Little Hoover Commissioner on state government
that California should stop arresting people whose only crime is use or
possession of small amounts of drugs for their own use. He said the
enormous savings could be used to provide voluntary treatment. Quoting former drug Czar General Barry McCaffrey's statement that we should
not consider it a drug war but as a long-term struggle similar to that
against cancer or heart disease, McNamara noted that we do not lock up
people with those problems or even those who ignore medical warnings about
how to avoid those and other diseases. McNamara is available in the State Capitol on Thursday, September 26 for
comment or on mcnamara hoover.stanford.edu CRRH is working to regulate and tax the sale of cannabis to adults like
alcohol, allow doctors to recommend cannabis through pharmacies and restore
the unregulated production of industrial hemp. *Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp*
mail: CRRH ; P.O. Box 86741 ; Portland, OR 97286 USA
email: crrh crrh.org
phone: (503) 235-4606
fax: (503) 235-0120
web: http://www.crrh.org/ ------------------------------
End of Restore-Digest V2002 #204
********************************"We the People are the rightful master of both congress and the courts - not to overthrow the Constitution, but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution."
Abraham LincolnThe Joseph McNamara Collection
http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/debate/mcn/mcntoc.htmTime article
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,186579,00.htmlJoseph McNamara is a former police chief in Kansas City, Mo. and San Jose, Ca.. He holds a doctorate in public administration and is presently a research fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution.cops against the drug war
http://www.drcnet.org/cops/question.htmlpolice chiefs question merit of drug policy
http://www.drcnet.org/guide1-96/police.htmlBonus Payment To Informant Draws Criticism
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread9855.shtmlAnglo-Saxon common law right of claiming a "necessity" to break the law, because doing so prevented a greater harm...
Rob WaddellOur American Common Law
http://www.svpvril.com/OACL.htmlHow FIJA Saved My Life!
http://serendipity.magnet.ch/jsmill/fija1293.htmErowid Freedom Vault : Jury Nullification
http://www.erowid.org/freedom/jury_nullification/jury_nullification.shtmlIn Jury Rooms, Form of Civil Protest Grows — Washington Post
http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99.n472.a03.html Fully Informed Jury Association
http://www.fija.org/Monsanto/Fla Thugczar's Terminator Seeds
http://www.rafi.org South Dakota Plants Hemp
http://www.sodaknorml.org/plantpix.htm
On May 8, 2001We are all Sioux, we sow disobedience to reap freedom and social justice. "Honorable Judge I planted a Seed"The Drug War Comes To The Rez
http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread8646.shtmlCan't Find It...
http://www.cannabinoid.com/boards/politics/media/36/36609.gifMcCaffrey's Cancer Treatment
http://www.cannabinoid.com/wwwboard/politics/binaries/29/29645.gif
Free The Political Prisoners of the WAR on Cannabis!!!
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on September 27, 2002 at 21:21:09 PT
Good Links in This Article
If Marijuana-Law Passes, Will NV Still Receive Federal $To Fight Drugs?
(Sept. 27) -- At a time when Nevada has a marijuana initiative on the ballot, Nevada is getting a $9 million federal grant to fight drug abuse. If the marijuana initiative passes, Nevada will be in opposition of federal drug laws, and that has some wondering "If the state will continue to get federal funds if pot is legalized in Nevada?"Complete Article: http://www.klas-tv.com/Global/story.asp?S=952797&nav=168XBVCe
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Comment #4 posted by goneposthole on September 27, 2002 at 20:03:04 PT
Louis Armstrong (off topic)
Maybe Louis Armstrong's remains should be exhumed to determine if they still have some thc in them. If they do, his remains should be sent directly to a prison.Drug free graveyards are next.If you think Florida's election results were flawed, wait until the vote to legalize cannabis in Nevada is counted.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #3 posted by BGreen on September 27, 2002 at 19:22:29 PT
The Lies Will Fly With Increasing Fury
It's going to be a nauseating five and a half weeks until Nov. 5, and then it's going to get even uglier in the next two years after we win the first time.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #2 posted by John Tyler on September 27, 2002 at 18:29:17 PT
Vote in Nevada
This has the potential to be a big money maker. The business interest and politicians should get behind this issue. It is going to happen. People don't believe the government lies any more. They are such obvious lies too.
[ Post Comment ]
Comment #1 posted by idbsne1 on September 27, 2002 at 18:28:25 PT
Oh God.....another AP prohibitionist slant....
Hey AP????Figure out yet that the world ISN'T FLAT?idbsne1
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