cannabisnews.com: Backers Blame Election Loss on Fear Backers Blame Election Loss on Fear Posted by CN Staff on November 09, 2002 at 14:56:00 PT By Ed Vogel, Review-Journal Capital Bureau Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal The man who tried to make Nevada the first state with legal marijuana said there was one overriding reason that Nevada voters rejected Question 9. Her name was Sandy Thompson. Billy Rogers, leader of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, said his organization could not explain away the tragic Aug. 9 death of Las Vegas Sun columnist and executive Sandy Thompson. She was killed when a car driven by 21-year-old John Simbrat slammed into her vehicle, which was stopped at a Las Vegas stoplight. Simbrat had been smoking marijuana and has pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of a controlled substance. He will be sentenced in December. "The voters went into the polling places concerned that more people would drive under the influence," Rogers said. "Clearly in Clark County, the Sandy Thompson tragedy had a tremendous impact on voters. The smartest thing the opponents did was enlist the support of the Thompson family. You can't argue with a family that has gone through a tragedy. That was an event beyond our control." Sandy Thompson's husband, Gary, said his wife would be pleased that the marijuana question was defeated. He said he and his daughter, Kelly, are not prudes and support medical marijuana, but believe a law legalizing marijuana for all adults would lead only to more carnage on the highways. "We get 36 million visitors a year to Las Vegas, and if 1 percent of them bought marijuana that is 360,000 people," he said. "Some of those people are going to drive under the influence. It is inevitable there would be more deaths." In Tuesday's election, 61 percent of voters opposed Question 9, which would have allowed adults to possess as much as 3 ounces of marijuana in private; 39 percent supported the initiative question. The results were almost identical to a similar ballot question to legalize marijuana in Alaska in 2000. Attempts to legalize marijuana in California in 1972 and in Oregon in 1986 also failed. The move to make Nevada the first state with legal marijuana captured the attention of the nation's media, with many commentators touching on the state's sin-friendly reputation. For instance, talk-show host Conan O'Brien on Thursday joked that opponents of the ballot question worried that "legalizing pot would have sent the wrong message to Nevada's young gamblers and prostitutes." Prior to the election, dozens of reporters visited Nevada and invariably mentioned that wacky Nevada, with its legal gaming and legal prostitution, was preparing to add marijuana to its list of legal vices. Most stories, including a cover story in Time magazine, maintained that polls showed the marijuana question was a tossup, ignoring the only unbiased polls on the matter, which were conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for the Review-Journal and reviewjournal.com. The final poll indicated Question 9 had support from 36 percent of voters, with 60 percent opposed and 4 percent undecided. A similar Mason-Dixon poll in August also showed Question 9 failing overwhelmingly. Only in July did the poll show nearly an even split. "It has been dead since last summer when law enforcement came out against it," said Brad Coker, managing director of Mason-Dixon. Keith Stroup, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said marijuana supporters learned from the defeat of Question 9 and an unrelated marijuana initiative in Arizona. "There is a lot of support to eliminate all penalties against marijuana use, but the public does not yet support legal marijuana," he said. He cited Time magazine studies that indicated 72 percent of Americans believe people should incur only fines for using small amounts of marijuana. But just 34 percent favor legalization. Stroup speculated Question 9 would have passed in Nevada if Rogers' group had limited the issue to adults possessing 3 ounces of marijuana. But the question also called for the Legislature to regulate marijuana through passing laws on the cultivation, sale and taxation of marijuana. Pot would have been sold in state-licensed stores. Backers of legal marijuana in Alaska made the same mistake in 2000, Stroup said. That initiative called for legal marijuana and also mandated reparations for people who previously had been busted for pot. NORML already considers Nevada among the 12 states with a decriminalized marijuana law. The 2001 Legislature reduced the penalty for possession of 1 ounce or less to a $600 fine. Previously it had been a felony to possess any amount of marijuana in Nevada. Rogers concedes that the legislative decision to reduce marijuana penalties was one of the reasons that the Marijuana Policy Project chose Nevada for its Question 9 initiative drive. No other state had reduced marijuana penalties in more than a decade. MPP is the parent organization of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement. Rogers, Stroup and High Times magazine editor Steven Hager all believe the time will come when states will adopt legal marijuana laws. That time, however, might be 10 years away and not necessarily in Nevada, Rogers said. Hager believes pro-marijuana advocates will return to Alaska in an attempt to win voter approval for legal marijuana. Next time the initiative will leave out language about handing out reparations for past marijuana arrests, he said. "People are gradually going to warm up to it," Hager said. "Marijuana is not going away." The vote against Question 9 will not affect Nevada's medical marijuana program, said Cecile Crofoot, the Department of Agriculture employee who manages the program. Now 237 people have their doctor's permission to use marijuana for medical reasons. Qualified users can grow up to seven marijuana plants. The state, however, cannot advise them where to acquire seeds or how to grow marijuana. Crofoot said participants just need to go on the Internet and put the word marijuana in a search engine. Dozens of Web sites sell seeds, including exotic sounding types from the Netherlands, and offer growing tips. While some participants have complained to Crofoot they cannot grow marijuana, others tell her they are very successful. Hager said pro-marijuana advocates have not given up entirely on Nevada. "Your state wears the banner of a state that believes in personal freedom," he said. "That's how Nevada looks to the rest of the country. It looks like an environment that would be friendly to change."Note: Columnist's tragic death raised issue of driving under the influence. Complete Title: Legalizing Marijuana: Backers Blame Election Loss on Fear Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal (NV)Author: Ed Vogel, Review-Journal Capital BureauPublished: Saturday, November 09, 2002Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Review-JournalContact: letters lvrj.comWebsite: http://www.lvrj.com/Related Articles & Web Sites:NRLE: http://www.nrle.org/NORML: http://www.norml.org/High Times: http://www.hightimes.com/Legalize Pot - Charleston Gazette http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14697.shtmlMarijuana Legalization Backers Suffer Defeats http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14670.shtmlThe New Politics of Pot - Time Magazinehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14574.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by afterburner on November 10, 2002 at 19:59:45 PT: Fear: the Goal of Terrorism. When Bash and Walters crow about drug reform policy initiative defeats, I can only say, "There is none so blind as he who will not see." The terrorists want to spread fear. Congratulations, federal officials you have played right into the terrorists' hands by spreading the fear yourselves. Now stand aside, and "put a little love in your heart." ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by freedom fighter on November 10, 2002 at 08:48:55 PT 36 million logic Who is to say that since cannabis is illegal that there would be no 36 million users in a year in Nevada? I am sorry someone had to bring Sandy Thompson up but then, can anybody tell me that this lady never ever drove 20 mph over the limit? Get over with this. Cannabis did not kill her. It was the Speed and the Stupidity that killed her. And why should we punish 36 million users because of an action of One?ff [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by DdC on November 10, 2002 at 03:01:06 PT SCruznewz: Metro & Good Times...MAP Focus Alert SCMet: LTE: Stop the Reefer MadnessRegarding "Smoke and Mirrors" (Nuz,Sept,25), Paul Sanford is correct that legal cases emerging from recent medical marijuana raids in California could mark an important turning point in the issue of state vs. federal sovereignty. But while those issues move slowly through the courts, Congress should act now to stop these outrageous and cruel DEA attacks on the sick. At least two members of Congress, Reps Sam Farr (D-Santa Cruz) and Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) have indicated their willingness to introduce an amendment to the Justice Department's apropriations bill that would put an end to these vicious attacks on medical marijuana patients. Every member of Congress needs to hear from his or her constituents that this is important, and that Congress should use its authority to defend our weakest and most vulnerable citizens. For more imformation, please see the marijuana Policy Project's website http://www.mpp.orgBruce Mirken, Washington, D.C. Director of Communications, Marijuana Policy ProjectSC Good Times,cover: More Moore Than Ever Before http://gdtimes.com/pages/cover.htmSC Metro pg19: Breaking On Through Again: Ram Dass wraps his expanded mind around the last of the truly taboo subjects--death and dying.This includes a half column about WAMM.but the link is dead. It came out last Thurs but I just got a copy. I think they will snail it out on request. http://www.metcruz.comBreaking On Through Again http://www.metroactive.com/papers/cruz/11.06.01/dass-0245.htmlNot Found: The requested URL /papers/cruz/11.06.01/dass-0245.html was not found on this server. Apache/1.3.20 Server at www.metroactive.com Port 80Its pretty strange reading local papers with such open minded reasoning on cannabis and community TV having cannabis movie marathons and the WAMM protest. and then watch or read or hear the reefer mad goofy D.E.A.th Worship. MAP Search:key in Santa Cruz http://www.mapinc.org/search/index.htmCommunity TV http://www.communitytv.org/I showed some folk's this Hemp movie yesterday and looking for WAMM info found this. http://www.communitytv.org/news.htmlEARTHVISION 2002Entries have been submitted from as far away as China and India. We are pleased to announce that the locally produced Hemp Hemp Horaay! was selected for first place in the Environmental Sustainability category. Most of these videos are the work of concerned individuals trying to bring a message to the public that corporate media chooses to ignore.So, stop listening to the nonsense that passes for news on TV, and see what's really going on in the world.Hemp Hemp Hooray http://www.bicyclevideos.com/DISTRIBUTION/hemp_video.html MAPInc Alert:Time Magazine Says We Move Fast. Let's Show Them How Fast! [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by The GCW on November 09, 2002 at 18:44:20 PT Informative news! & help for anorexia nervosa! All We are doing is winning.I hope it doesn't take 10 years to convince them...After the civil war, how long did it actually take for that carnage to stop?We have won. When We're talking bout ending the practice of caging humans for using a plant, and 40% are in favor, that is a win. That is time to say, hey, what the heck, if it is only 49% in favor, You still continue? Because it is 51% in favor of caging and only 49% against caging, You feel it is still fair to cage?At what odds (NV. remember) did they stop caging and killing and persecuting the Jews? & it seems like cannabis and anorexia are a no brainer.& the only unbiased polls on the matter, which were conducted by Mason-Dixon Polling & Research for the Review-Journal and reviewjournal.com. (may be helpfull next time & all the time)& Wait till the unbiased polls say pro's and pro's are 2 differnet things, and while We can have prostitutes paying taxes, prohibitionists may not. OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!& For the meandering and forelorn SWATSTIKA, that was a joke, son. & the Lord said, stop pointing that big gun at little people son.& I pray that My Father will forgive Me for My sins. & pray that He bless My food, My daily bread. All of it.& He does.& I thank Him& I don't know which came first. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on November 09, 2002 at 18:05:03 PT News Brief from Ha`aretz News in Brief http://www.haaretzdaily.com/ Sunday, November 10, 2002 Kislev 5, 5763 Cannabis tested at Hadassah as treatment for anorexia Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem is to experiment with marijuana for treating anorexia nervosa, Ma'ariv reported Friday. Anorexia nervosa is a serious eating disorder prevalent among young women in their teens and early 20s, characterized by a fear of weight gain leading to malnutrition and excessive weight loss. Hebrew University researchers hope that low doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - the active ingredient in marijuana - will improve the patients' brain activity. Marijuana is already used medically for pain relief, increasing appetite and affecting the nervous system. The Health Ministry permits medical use of marijuana in special cases. (Haim Shadmi) http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=228641&contrassID=2&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by goneposthole on November 09, 2002 at 18:00:47 PT two poor souls at the wrong place at the wrong time.Death rate from alcohol abuse, a factsheet: http://www.ias.org.uk/factsheets/medsoc3.htm [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Nasarius on November 09, 2002 at 16:41:03 PT Yeah... So let's throw people in prison for drinking alcohol, too! Oh wait, we already tried that... [ Post Comment ] Post Comment