cannabisnews.com: Pot Initiative Opponents Plan Rally at Newspaper Pot Initiative Opponents Plan Rally at Newspaper Posted by CN Staff on October 25, 2002 at 14:21:19 PT By Ed Koch Source: Las Vegas Sun Opponents of Question 9 were scheduled to hold a rally outside the Las Vegas Sun building in Henderson today, where the husband and daughter of Sun Associate Editor and Vice President Sandy Thompson were expected to urge voters to defeat the measure. Thompson was killed in a car accident in August caused by a man driving under the influence of pot. Gary Thompson, a former Sun managing editor who now works as an executive for Harrah's, says his message will also be taped for a television ad opposing Question 9, which would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana for adults.Thompson said his wife, who wrote columns focusing on the family court system, opposed the legalization of marijuana. He said he is not opposed to marijuana's medical use but is against legalizing it for recreational purposes."If you allow people to possess marijuana, a certain percentage will travel on roads under the influence and kill people while they are in their cars waiting at a stop light," Thompson said, describing how his wife was killed on Aug. 9."People from California and Arizona and other places will drive to Las Vegas to buy legal pot and a number of them will start smoking it before they get to the privacy of their own homes. ... Accidents will skyrocket, as will deaths and insurance premiums."Earlier this week, 21-year-old John Simbrat pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of a controlled or prohibited substance, causing death, in the crash that killed Thompson.According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, Simbrat had a large amount of marijuana in his system and was traveling at least 20 mph over the speed limit when he slammed into the back of Thompson's car at the Las Vegas Beltway and Far Hills Avenue.Under a plea bargain, he will be sentenced to between four and 20 years in prison on Dec. 9.A chief supporter of the pot initiative, however, said that Question 9 provides for strict penalties for those who drive under the influence of the drug."Anyone who drives under the influence of marijuana and kills someone should go to prison for a long time," said Billy Rogers, spokesman for Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, which backs Question 9."Under Question 9, the line is drawn at the front door. Anyone who drives under the influence and kills someone will go to prison for a long time."Thompson said he understands that provision under the proposed law, but he said, "prosecution is one thing. I would rather practice prevention."Rogers, who said his organization's "thoughts and prayers are with the Thompson family," added that current marijuana laws -- the ones in effect when Sandy Thompson was killed -- "are not working."Source: Las Vegas Sun (NV)Author: Ed Koch Published: October 25, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Sun, Inc.Contact: letters lasvegassun.comWebsite: http://www.lasvegassun.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NRLEhttp://www.nrle.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/State Ballot Question 9 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14546.shtmlNevada Should Back Question 9 http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14539.shtmlNevada Pushes Next Frontier: Legalizing Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14503.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by DdC on October 25, 2002 at 19:47:05 PT Morally Torturing Citizens Out of Vengeance! Isn't That Speeeeeeecial...Its a damn good thing they aren't on the roads now..."If you allow people to possess marijuana, a certain percentage will travel on roads under the influence and kill people while they are in their cars waiting at a stop light"Depends on how long the light is. I don't start killing people while sitting at a stop light. Have I been toking wrong all these years? The only logical conclusion to the war on cannabis besides profit and dysfunctional insanity. Is a Parallel Universe and the D.E.A.th Mongers are leaking through. I know if I have a choice of toking at home legally or driving while toking illegally I'll choose the driving because it ain't really the cannabis everyone enjoys, its the prison. Free rent, free food and clothing. Security guards protecting you from the "Prohibitionist". Tacks paid. I shutter to think what would happen if all of a sudden we had thousands of homeless, unemployed cops wondering the streets. And then the streets would start practicing the same moronality of that good old time acts of Vengeance on them. More jobs fixing them up with casts and chemicals and cages. Gotta get dem jobs somewhere. Without the war on cannabis Monsanto can't poison people and crops. Dyncorps spy gadgets, Sikorsky, and Lockheed won't be shooting down Missionary babies. The Prison Military Industrial Bush just won't grow. "We have to keep our phony baloney jobs gentlemen"*...If they know they might want Free Will. What a Gal darn notion...Peace, War Nothing in between...Pretending contentment of a little bit of tyranny only festers the wound. No one can live under any amount of tyranny and remain in a natural state. They can only pretend believing DEAth dogma unquestioningly. Get Real. 60 + % of accidents are considered "other". Maybe we should require everyone to get stoned before driving since cannabis driving accidents are so minimal. Better than Puritan Temperance Leaguers toddling tea and cell phones in traffic. Trying to fit Reefer Mad Utterings to reality is similar to the re-emergence of the K.K.K. following the fevered utterance of whats its face. It only works in the movies and propaganda pages. The Yellow Journalist are oxymorons. A journalist is independent of fabrication or the definition fails and it must be changed. Same as Capitalism mutating into Fascism. Using the very same tools. Stigmatizing, infringing on rights, casting for lots, profiting on war and suffering, clumping all users into one group and throw in some celery, carrots and onions. Whatever sooths the pallet of the D.E.A.th. Cops crying like babies over adults toking in their living rooms... Man do I feel safe... Maybe I can sign a waiver and not play this stupid war game anymore. Relinquishing my right to use tax paid cops and if I need a protection racket on occasion I'll rent one. And immune from their persecution. I think I should get a refund for never having to use a cop. Seems some are cheating the rest of us having common sense. I think if I need a cop, I'll call a pot grower instead. The cop ain't gonna get my stuff back but the grower'l sure make the situation more tolerable. The true Public Servants... DdCThugczar Wally http://www.cannabinoid.com/boards/politics/media/35/35838.gifWally the Terrorist http://boards.marihemp.com/boards/politics/media/39/39850.jpgD.E.A.th Deceptions http://www.angelfire.com/ca7/ddc/DEAth.htmlU.S.Al Qaeda! http://www.cannabinoid.com/boards/politics/media/39/39670.gif*Blazing Saddles (Maybe not exact) PREJUDICE: MARIJUANA AND JIM CROW LAWS [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by BGreen on October 25, 2002 at 18:41:30 PT What a convenient plea bargain They're masking the REAL cause of the wreck.*********************************************************October 21, 2002Driver pleads guilty in death of Sun execBy Kim Smith LAS VEGAS SUNA 21-year-old man accused of causing the crash that killed Las Vegas Sun Vice President and Associate Editor Sandy Thompson will spend between four and 20 years in prison after entering a plea agreement this morning.John Simbrat pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of a controlled or prohibited substance, causing death. District Judge Sally Loehrer will formally sentence Simbrat on Dec. 9.In exchange for Simbrat's guilty plea, prosecutors will dismiss charges of reckless driving and involuntary manslaughter.According to the Nevada Highway Patrol, Simbrat had marijuana in his system and was traveling at least 20 mph over the speed limit when he slammed into the back of Thompson's car on Aug. 9 as she sat at a red light at the Las Vegas Beltway and Far Hills Avenue.Thompson's husband, Gary Thompson, and the couple's daughter, Kelly, have filed a civil lawsuit against Simbrat."It's a tragedy that not only our family was hurt but his as well," Gary Thompson said following the plea agreement. "We still have so many unanswered questions, though. Why would parents allow their kid, who was so obviously under the influence and with eight prior traffic violations, drive while stoned?"Kelly Thompson said that while she understands why the case was negotiated, she feels that "he caused something permanent so he should be subject to something permanent."Gary Thompson said he hopes people think of his wife's death when voting on Question 9, which would legalize the possession of marijuana up to 3 ounces."I hope that people will think twice before they vote 'yes' on 9 because this could happen to them or their loved ones," he said.According to prosecutors, Simbrat was found at fault in four prior accidents, in 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2001. They said he also has received four traffic citations since 1998, for such violations as speeding and disregarding a traffic device. Driver pleads guilty in death of Sun exec [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by CorvallisEric on October 25, 2002 at 18:25:27 PT Simbrat 1 - was driving his mother to work that morning in one of those big, fat, stupid, homicidal All-American vehicles (sorry, can't keep my OTHER views to myself).2 - has a history of "accidents" and violations in his short driving career.That's all I remember from searching Google News when the story first appeared - those who want more will know where to look and will appreciate the fact that his name isn't Jones or Smith. [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by BGreen on October 25, 2002 at 18:10:06 PT All families who've lost a loved one to a sober driver should protest every human who dares get behind the wheel in that condition. Sober drivers kill more innocent people than all drunk and drugged drivers combined.Sober drivers must be locked up before they give kids the impression that anybody EXCEPT cannabis smokers are slaughtering people on our highways. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by p4me on October 25, 2002 at 15:38:52 PT The kid just does not know how to drive First, cannabis is illegal and this still happened. For all we know his schedule may have been crowded because he was trying to squeeze a 40 mile run for MJ in during his lunch hour. Maybe if there were a store near where he lived, he would not even be on the road.The issue that draws my attention is the fact that he was doing 20 miles over the speed limit. There is nothing inherent to consuming cannabis that makes you drive like an a**hole. Some people just drive like they don't have any sense because they in fact lack good sense. Some people think they can drive as fast as they want and there are millions of people that think somehow equate being a good driver to how fast they can complete a trip. The kid did not have any sense when he was going so fast. If he had a speed criteria built into his daily driving he could have been smoking while high and not violated his criteria.It is tragic of course that someone had to die because this idiot did not have any sense. I still say it is his lack of sense more than cannabis that caused the fatality and that one reason to legalize marijuana would be to cut down the millions of miles people drive needlessly to score. How stupid is it to have to burn 128 ounces of oil that is leading the world to an imperialist grab when you should be able to pick up an ounce when you do your Friday shopping. The idea that legalization will make the roads more dangerous is backwards. Legalizing marijuana will make the roads safer.1 [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by krutch on October 25, 2002 at 15:29:12 PT: Prevention strategy does more harm than good Thompson's story is sad, but illustrates nicely that prohibition does not stop people from taking drug's and driving. The so called "prevention" by keeping the drug illegal makes a black market. This black market leads far more misery than car accidents caused by MJ intoxicated drivers. The alcohol comparsion is appropriate here. If the person who caused that accident was drunk would Thompson advocate making booze illegal? Driving drunk is atleast as dangerous as driving high.I wonder if the person who caused the accident was actually high, or if he just had residual metabolites in his urine like the woman who hit those kids on highway work detail. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by DdC on October 25, 2002 at 14:45:39 PT DRCNet, Issue #260 -- October 25, 2002 The Week Online with DRCNet, Issue #260 -- October 25, 2002 A Publication of the Drug Reform Coordination Network"Raising Awareness of the Consequences of Drug Prohibition"Phillip S. Smith, Editor, psmith drcnet.org David Borden, Executive Director, borden drcnet.orgSubscribe: http://www.drcnet.org/signup.htmlThis issue on the web: http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.htmlTABLE OF CONTENTS1. Antiprohibitionists Meet at European Parliament in Brussels http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#brusselsconference2. Vigilante Drug Bust in Arizona Opens Window into World of Hurt on Mexican Border http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#vigilantes3. Election 2002: Governor's Races of Interest http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#racesofinterest4. Smoke Dope to Fight Chemical Warfare Attacks? Israeli Activists Say Check It Out http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#dexabinolThe Israeli newspaper Maariv reported October 11 that the US Army had registered a patent on a substance that blocks brain damage from nerve gases such as Sarin, Soman, and Tabun. The substance, HU-211, is also known as dexabinol, described by the Israeli Green Leaf Party http://www.ale-yarok.org.il , a marijuana reform group based in Tel Aviv, as a "mirror for THC except for psychoactive effect." 5. This Week's Cop Corruption Story: Two Texas Villarreals http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#twovillareals6. Newsbrief: Federal Court Upholds Drug Tests for Welfare Recipients http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#welfaredrugtests7. Newsbrief: Bill to Ban Salvia Divinorum Introduced http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#salviadivinorum8. Newsbrief: In Ecuador, Plan Colombia Foe Appears Headed for Presidency http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#gutierrez9. Newsbrief: Feds to Prosecute Ayahuasca Case http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#ayahuascaprosecution10. Newsbrief: Baltimore Killings Bring More of the Same Old Policies http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#baltimore11. Newsbrief: Richmond, Virginia Drug Sweep Underway http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#drugsweep12. Newsbrief: Massachusetts Reform Advocates Release Decrim Study as Elections Near http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#mironstudy13. Newsbrief: Oklahoma Uses Civil Suits in War on Meth http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#civilsuits14. Newsbrief: U Missouri SSDP, NORML in Marijuana Petition Drive http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#columbia15. Newsbrief: Ontario Court Authorizes Crackdown on Marijuana Growers http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#ontario16. Quote of the Week: William Raspberry http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#williamraspberry17. Web Scan: DRCNet in the Media, Dan Forbes on Alternet, VoteHemp, Change the Climate, Journey for Justice, Sydney Morning Herald http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#webscan18. Job Opportunity: PreventionWorks, Washington, DC http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#preventionworks19. Errata: Polling on San Francisco Proposition S http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#errata20. Calling on Students to Raise Your Voices for Repeal of the HEA Drug Provision http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#studentcampaign21. Action Alerts: Rave Bill, Medical Marijuana, Higher Education Act Drug Provision http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#actionalerts22. The Reformer's Calendar http://www.drcnet.org/wol/260.html#eventcalendarThe Week Online needs your support -- please visit http://www.drcnet.org/donate/ to make a contribution today!Related...Subject: Only The PotHeads Will Survive http://pub3.ezboard.com/fendingcannabisprohibitioncannabisfoodfuelfiberfarmaceuticals.showMessage?topicID=45.topicSeeking Rest From the Terrors, New York Pops Pills By Jonathan LandrethChapter 7: Therapeutic Use of Cannabis...Asthma Glaucoma Tumors Nausea/Cancer Chemotherapy Epilepsy, Multiple Sclerosis, Back Pain & Spasms Antibiotics & Antibacterial CBDs Herpes, Cystic Fibrosis, Arthritis & Rheumatism Expectorant Sleep & Relaxation Emphysema Stress, Migraines Appetite Salivation AIDS, Depression, Etc. 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