cannabisnews.com: Opposite Side of Border, Opposite Pot Issue Opposite Side of Border, Opposite Pot Issue Posted by CN Staff on November 17, 2002 at 09:34:03 PT By Susan Taylor Martin, Times Senior Correspondent Source: St. Petersburg Times Depending on which side of the U.S.-Canadian border you're on, the winds of change are either blowing hard or barely at all when it comes to legalizing marijuana. In Canada, a Senate committee stunned the country in September when it said anyone over 16 should be allowed to smoke marijuana. The recommendation was all the more startling because it came not from a group of 20-something potheads but lawmakers with an average age of 64. But on Nov. 5, voters in Nevada overwhelmingly rejected a measure that would have made it the first state to legalize marijuana use. Also defeated were a decriminalization move in Arizona and a treatment-instead-of-jail proposal in Ohio. The votes were a blow to well-financed efforts to bring America closer in line with other Western countries that treat marijuana use more as a public health issue than a criminal one. Backers of Nevada's Question 9 -- who included billionaire financier George Soros -- noted that 11-million Americans regularly smoke marijuana and argued that they should not be treated as criminals. Given its image as a free-wheeling place where gambling and prostitution have long been allowed, Nevada seemed the logical starting point for a nationwide push to legalize marijuana. Had it been approved Nov. 5 and again in 2004, the measure would have let adults possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana, and required the Legislature to regulate it much like alcohol and tobacco. But U.S. drug czar John Walters made two trips to Nevada, adding his voice to opponents who claimed legalization would encourage "drug tourism" and add to the already high number of traffic deaths caused by drivers purportedly stoned on marijuana. The defeat of Question 9 was also attributed in part to a larger-than-usual turnout by Republicans, who tend to be more conservative. Some legalization foes saw the Nevada vote as a sign Americans have become more introspective since the Sept. 11 attacks and now realize that drugs, like terrorists, are destructive to their cherished way of life. Complete Title: On Opposite Side of Border, Opposite Side of Pot IssueNote: Please refrain from posting the rest of the article due to Copyright Issues. Thank You.Snipped: Complete Article: http://www.sptimes.com/2002/11/17/Columns/On_opposite_side_of_b.shtmlSource: St. Petersburg Times (FL)Author: Susan Taylor Martin, Times Senior Correspondent Published: November 17, 2002 Copyright: 2002 St. Petersburg TimesContact: letters sptimes.comWebsite: http://www.sptimes.com/Related Articles:Drug Reformers Are Regroupinghttp://freedomtoexhale.com/abocr.htmSenate Report on Cannabis: Get Whole Story http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14319.shtmlLegalize Marijuana, Senate Committee Sayshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13989.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #3 posted by krutch on November 18, 2002 at 13:06:40 PT: Nevada overwhelmingly rejected a measure ? 61% to 39% is hardly overwhelming. You would think that 10 people in the entire state voted for the measure the way the media talks about it. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on November 17, 2002 at 10:31:49 PT AlvinCool This is one of the papers that we are having copyright problems with. The only way to use this article currently is to snip it and post the link so you all can read it. I wish I could post the whole article but I just can't. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by AlvinCool on November 17, 2002 at 10:27:03 PT Really now The article isn't an article at all. It's TWO different articles put together. They stop at the end of the first article and ask you not to reprint past that point. What lamers [ Post Comment ] Post Comment