cannabisnews.com: Losing Initiative Groups Ponder The Future





Losing Initiative Groups Ponder The Future
Posted by CN Staff on November 21, 2002 at 09:05:50 PT
By Jimmy Boegle
Source: Las Vegas City Life 
Two weeks removed from a crushing Election Day, Billy Rogers sounds surprisingly upbeat as he talks about the failure of Question 9. "I think we got ahead of a tidal wave," says the leader of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, the group behind the question that would have legalized adult possession of up to three ounces of marijuana. He says he's been studying the election statistics, and he's stunned at what was an amazing Republican turnout.
He says some Republican-leaning precincts in Jon Porter's congressional district saw 80 percent turnout, while many of Shelley Berkley's Democratic-leaning precincts saw only 45 percent turnout. He points out that Berkley was fortunate in a sense; while she won by 11 percentage points, Dario Herrera - who lost by 19 percentage points - got 2,000 more votes than Berkley, illustrating how well Porter's campaign did at getting his conservative supporters to the polls. Rogers also points out that the top vote-earning statewide Democratic candidate, Erin Kenny, got 41.5 percent of the vote, which is 5 percentage points less than what the best Democrat got in his home state of Texas."If you'd have told me that Nevada would be 5 percent more Republican than Texas, I'd have told you that you were crazy," says Rogers.In other words: 39 percent of the vote, considering the conservative tidal wave that hit Nevada (and much of the rest of the country) this year, isn't too bad.And that begs the question: Is this the end of NRLE, or will the folks behind Question 9 stick around for a while?Rogers says he isn't sure, but he does relate this story: On Election Day, after Question 9's defeat was secured, someone from Nevadans Against Legalizing Marijuana - the group formed to fight Rogers and his group's efforts - made a joke about giving Rogers a one-way plane ticket back to Austin."I am certainly tempted to say, 'Take that plane ticket and shove it up your ass,'" Rogers says.In other words: This may not be the end of NRLE. As a matter of fact, Rogers says he hopes it is not."Ultimately, you have to be able to fund an organization," Rogers says. "Hopefully, we'll continue to maintain an organization here in Nevada."Where would that funding come from? Considering that the vast majority of NRLE's money came from the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, the decision probably lies with that organization. The way Rogers speaks - while he makes it clear that things are still up in the air - it sounds like this: If NRLE doesn't remain, some form of it may return in the future. "There are issues around the edges where we clearly had public support," he says. "Most people just don't think that people should be arrested for having small amounts of marijuana."He also said that even NRLE's strongest opponents conceded there are flaws in Nevada's medical marijuana distribution system.And therefore, what Rogers, the MPP and NRLE have to decide is: Was this Republican storm a fluke? Will the atypical Republican turnout (Rogers says the GOP voted in numbers like it was a presidential election, while Democrats voted in numbers typical for a midterm election) reoccur without Question 2 on the ballot in two years?He says a lot of it depends on the presidential race. If George W. Bush is headed for a 1984-type Republican romp, then conservatives will rule the day. But if it's a repeat of 1992, then who knows?"Nobody knows what the election is going to look like in 2004."In other words: Stay tuned.Equal Rights Nevada NRLE has an unsure future, even in terms of its existence. In contrast, Equal Rights Nevada - the group that formed in 2000 to fight Question 2 - is almost guaranteed to stay around in some form. But that's all that's certain. According to Executive Director Richard Schlegel, much is to be decided at ERN's December meeting, when a new board will be elected - and the fate of the group's three employees, Schlegel included, will be decided."This is an opportunity to talk with our membership about the organization and find out what they want," says Schlegel. "Since we've been focused on Question 2 since the beginning, this will let us redefine why Equal Rights Nevada exists."Schlegel said it's clear that the group will lobby at the 2003 Legislature to get more legal privileges for gay and lesbian couples. He says that even though Question 2 passed so overwhelmingly, and even though Nevada's legislators are more conservative than before, he has high hopes for legislative efforts."Regardless of party, we can at least be confident that Republicans can make a distinction between the two issues of defining marriage and legal rights for couples," he saysHe adds that the group needs to build its membership and its fund-raising efforts. After all, the folks behind the Coalition for the Protection of Marriage aren't going away - and they remain a force to be reckoned with. Jimmy Boegle is City Life's news editor. Source: Las Vegas City Life (NV)Author: Jimmy Boegle Published: Thursday, November 21, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas City LifeContact: obrien lvpress.comWebsite: http://www.lasvegascitylife.com/ Related Articles & Web Sites:NRLEhttp://www.nrle.org/Marijuana Policy Projecthttp://www.mpp.org/Drug Reformers Are Regroupinghttp://freedomtoexhale.com/abocr.htmMarijuana Rights Group Wants to Sue Drug Czar http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14790.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by freddybigbee on November 21, 2002 at 12:38:33 PT:
Lumping various issues together...
I see where you're coming from with this, and it's not a bad idea if you could get it on the ballot. I suspect this is a trick best reserved for members of Congress, however.Why not just try to win legalization of any amount of cannabis? After all, it's a plant! If you restrict it to a particular quantity, then who could sell it or grow it? The government? If the gov. has to sell it, then a quantity limit wouldn't be bad. Silly yes, but not unworkable.
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Comment #1 posted by knox42897 on November 21, 2002 at 10:32:57 PT:
LV MPP or LVNRLE
I have talked with the NRLE. While they do not know if they are staying or leaving. They have assured me that in the event they should leave, they will set up a chapter here in Las Vegas. I personally want to head up the chapter. I have also notified NRLE of the next initiative which should get more votes.Shall the Nevada Constitution double the sentence for murders, rapists, armed robbery. Shall the Nevada constitution remove parol, probation and good time for murders, rapists, armed robbers and legalize one ounce of marijuana.I would think we could get more support from law enforcement (NCOPS 9 to 0). Plus we drop it from 3 ounces to 1 ounce. The reason being, one ounce is misdemeaner. The point being if you aren't arresting anyone for one ounce then legalize it nd tax it. Plus this puts away violent criminals for good. Does anyone like this initiative?
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