cannabisnews.com: Legalization Backers Launch Nevada Campaign










  Legalization Backers Launch Nevada Campaign

Posted by CN Staff on February 07, 2006 at 19:09:17 PT
By Kathleen Hennessey, Associated Press 
Source: Las Vegas Sun 

Las Vegas, NV -- Proponents of a petition legalizing small amounts of marijuana launched their campaign Tuesday, recruiting volunteers, serving snacks and urging Nevada voters to support a "tax-and-regulate" proposal on the November ballot. "Our marijuana laws don't work," said Neal Levine, executive director of the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana. The group is largely funded by the Washington D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project.
This is the latest in a string of legalization efforts backed by the group. In 2002, Nevada voters overwhelmingly rejected a petition that would have legalized up to 3 ounces of marijuana. A similar petition failed to qualify for the 2004 ballot. The latest incarnation of the petition, which allows adults to possess 1 ounce of marijuana, was signed by 86,000 people and put before the 2005 Legislature, where it found little support. Lawmakers declined the chance to approve it and sent it back to voters. Levine said he thinks this time around the initiative petition will find more support than the 2002 effort, which lost in a 61-39 percent vote. "It's a different petition this time. We've made sure it has sensible safeguards built in," he said. The proposal allows people 21 and older to posses 1 ounce of marijuana in their homes - the same amount allowed under Nevada's medical marijuana law. It would allow the state to license marijuana growers, distributors and retailers. The maximum penalties for selling or giving pot to a minor and for vehicular manslaughter while under the influence of drugs and alcohol would double. Levine said the goal is to regulate a drug that is used widely, rather than spend millions arresting and prosecuting users who rarely commit crimes. Ben Graham, lobbyist for the Nevada District Attorney's Association, called Levine's argument a "fraud upon the public." "The facts simply do not bear that out," he said. "The law enforcement community does not expend an inordinate amount of resources dealing with personal marijuana use." Graham said marijuana use leads to heavier drug use, and said advocates should visit drug court if they want to see the drug's detrimental effects on society. He said the law enforcement community has had little trouble making that case to Nevada voters in the past. "I don't think we're going to have to worry about it passing," he said. At the end of 2005, the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana had about $83,300 in cash on hand, according to campaign reports filed with the secretary of state's office. At the opening of its campaign office Tuesday, the committee had about 30 eager and young volunteers fired up for the effort. Nick Smith, a 19-year-old anthropology and Spanish major at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was among them. "(Marijuana) is a much safer alternative to alcohol," Smith said. "And it opens people's minds rather than shutting their minds down." Complete Title: Legalization Backers Launch Nevada Marijuana Campaign On the Net: Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana: http://www.regulatemarijuana.org/ Source: Las Vegas Sun (NV)Author: Kathleen Hennessey, Associated PressPublished: February 07, 2006Copyright: 2006 Las Vegas Sun Inc.Contact: letters lasvegassun.comWebsite: http://www.lasvegassun.com/CannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml

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Comment #10 posted by rchandar on February 09, 2006 at 13:50:07 PT:
toker00
careful, toker--We live in a very, very brainwashed society. If someone even tries cannabis, a lot of people quickly and permanently label him/her as a "drug addict." No fairness, no persepective, no realistic anything. Drug addict. Simple. Story over. That's the kind of BS we face. People get all exasperated and amazed and disenchanted, like you've just murdered thousands of people, like you've destroyed every damn thing society has "labored" so "hard" to build. (Not that what we've built is all that great). Bush says drug users "contribute to terrorism". Shameful and disgusting are the lies which become social law in the practice of our society. Shameful indeed.Er, but you have a point. After all, David killed Goliath with one stone.--rchandar
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Comment #9 posted by Toker00 on February 09, 2006 at 03:35:31 PT
Hope
And naturally, even though you or I wouldn't do it...everyone else in the world would turn into a drug addict very quickly if it weren't for it's being "against the law".Of course. That's why no one murders anyone anymore, no one rapes, no one steals. Heck, why don't we just make a law that makes it against the law to break ANY law. Their world would be perfect then, wouldn't it? Make the law, ignore the fact that people break it anyway, and just imagine yourself in a drug free, crime free, thought free society, and whammo! Instant Denialville. There are no hippies...there are no hippies...there are no hippies...Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #8 posted by Hope on February 08, 2006 at 20:57:40 PT
Toker
"...the availability remains the SAME.Funny how otherwise seemingly smart people miss this fact."It's a denial or ostrich effect if you will. It makes them comfortable knowing there's a law against it...even though the law isn't worth a dang and actually does more harm to people than any sort of imaginary protection that it might offer. As long as it's against the law...large amounts of people aren't doing it regularly, are they? And naturally, even though you or I wouldn't do it...everyone else in the world would turn into a drug addict very quickly if it weren't for it's being "against the law". Prohibition causes outrageous black market prices, generates huges sums of money, cunning, even brutally cunning plans from both some smugglers and some law enforcers, and because it's an underground, illegal business and undercover, draconianly brutal methods are used to fight that smuggling and popular use, there's going to be serious darkness and brutality born of it all. Take the prohibition of a product or substance, drink, herb, or powder, that obviously many people want to use, a little or a lot...in spite of it's illegality...and we aren't talking murder here folks...it's just consumption of a substance, and you mix that in with the fear generated by the unreasonable and cruel penalties, huge amounts of money, no real product regulatory system, you have a sure fire recipe for creating violence, death, destruction, hatred, fear, greed, demonization, and destruction. The guys that "cooked" this up are more dangerous to more people than any meth "cook".
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Comment #7 posted by b4daylight on February 08, 2006 at 19:30:47 PT
Go nick
Nick Smith, a 19-year-old anthropology and Spanish major at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, was among them."(Marijuana) is a much safer alternative to alcohol," Smith said. "And it opens people's minds rather than shutting their minds down." Nick knows Cannabis is a pyschdelic, and alcohol is a deppresent. (the only depresent that is legal with out a doctor.)
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Comment #6 posted by Toker00 on February 08, 2006 at 18:41:44 PT
Vegas
From the article:Legalizing even small amounts will make the drug more accessible to Las Vegans and their children, he said.You mean more accessible than it is now? In ANY quantity? To anyone, any age? I don't see how it could be any MORE accessible than it is now, unless they start GIVING it away.I lived in Vegas in '75. There was a park there called Paradise Park. You guessed it. Anything, anytime, any age. Thirty one years later, and the park may be gone, but the availability remains the SAME.Funny how otherwise seemingly smart people miss this fact. Wage peace on war. END CANNABIS PROHIBITION NOW!
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Comment #5 posted by mayan on February 08, 2006 at 06:47:56 PT
related article
Marijuana campaign started: Legalization backers urge voters to support proposal on November ballot:
http://www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2006/Feb-08-Wed-2006/news/5769623.html
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Comment #4 posted by mayan on February 08, 2006 at 03:53:06 PT
They're Very Worried
"I don't think we're going to have to worry about it passing," he said.Does that mean that you won't spend any of the taxpayer's money campaigning against it? In 2002, basically four out of ten Nevada voters supported outright legalization. It's four years later,time is on our side and I'd bet the prohibitonists in Nevada AND the federal level are very worried! In fact, we'll see just how worried they are when they start spewing their tired lies when it gets close to crunch time. If they aren't worried they will simply keep their mouths shut, won't they? I can't wait for this to pass!
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Comment #3 posted by OverwhelmSam on February 08, 2006 at 02:40:04 PT
I Like What This Guy Said
"I don't think we're going to have to worry about it passing,"I don't think you have to worry about it passing either, it will pass and there's nothing you can do about it, so why worry about it?
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Comment #2 posted by Max Flowers on February 08, 2006 at 01:41:05 PT
And therein lies the rub!
- "(Marijuana) is a much safer alternative to alcohol," Smith said. "And it opens people's minds rather than shutting their minds down." -We can't have people running around opening their minds, now can we?! That might lead to... evolution!
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Comment #1 posted by runderwo on February 07, 2006 at 23:45:23 PT
yawn
"Graham said marijuana use leads to heavier drug use, and said advocates should visit drug court if they want to see the drug's detrimental effects on society."Is it possible to ever just focus on marijuana without dragging other crap in? 
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