Pubdate: Thu, 17 Oct 2002
Source: Las Vegas Mercury (NV)
Copyright: 2002 Las Vegas Mercury
Contact:  http://www.lasvegasmercury.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2595
Author: Geoff Schumacher
Cited: Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement ( www.nrle.org )
Cited: Marijuana Policy Project ( www.mpp.org )
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?162 (Nevadans for Responsible Law 
Enforcement)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?163 (Question 9 (NV))
Note: Non-drug policy content omitted

THE BIG QUESTIONS

Candidates are taking a back seat to ballot initiatives in the Nov. 5 election

It's unusual for a modern election to deal with important, 
thought-provoking issues. Most elections involve political candidates who 
do everything in their power to avoid real issues, preferring to repeat 
time-honored platitudes that mean nothing and upset no one.

In the Nov. 5 election, however, Nevadans have a rare opportunity to cast 
ballots on issues of significance--issues on which they may have strong 
opinions and on which friends, relatives and colleagues may vociferously 
disagree. The candidates, by and large, are taking a back seat to ballot 
questions concerning gay marriage, marijuana legalization, publicly owned 
utilities, homeless services and secondhand smoke.

And that's not all. There also are ballot questions dealing with the 
spending of taxpayer money, a subject that never lacks for public interest. 
In one case, money would go toward tackling traffic congestion in Las 
Vegas. Another question would raise funds to protect native habitat and 
improve recreation facilities across the state. Still another would raise 
money for the library system in Henderson.

In short, for the occasional voter this is a good election to go to the 
polls. You may not know much about the candidates for attorney general or 
district judge or Board of Regents, but you likely have opinions you'd like 
to express about some of the ballot questions.

What follows is a Mercury guide to the big ballot questions. See you at the 
polls.

[snip]

Question 9

What is the difference between Mary Jane and Johnny Walker? That, in 
essence, is what voters must ask themselves about Question 9.

This is a big deal. The nation is watching to see whether little ol' Nevada 
will be a trendsetter once again in the area of recreational living. 
Remember when Nevada was the only state with legal gambling? Now 48 
freaking states have some form of legal gambling. Question 9's advocates 
back in Washington, D.C., are hoping Nevada starts a similar trend when it 
comes to marijuana. According to several polls, it's going to be close.

The initiative is the product of a petition drive sponsored by Nevadans for 
Responsible Law Enforcement, a local group affiliated with the Marijuana 
Policy Project in Washington. NRLE volunteers fanned out across the state, 
gathering 109,000 signatures--a state record--in 40 days to qualify the 
question for the ballot. If it passes in November, the question must be 
approved again in 2004 to become law.

The initiative seeks to alleviate an array of concerns that voters might 
raise. Only state-licensed establishments could sell marijuana, and only to 
adults. Use would be prohibited in public places, and transporting pot out 
of Nevada would be illegal. Marijuana sales also could be heavily taxed, 
providing a new revenue source for the perennially cash-strapped state.

"Most people say, `I don't care what you do in your own home,'" says Billy 
Rogers, campaign manager for NRLE. "This initiative allows responsible 
adults to possess marijuana in their own homes, and it prevents 
irresponsible people from acting irresponsibly." Rogers says passage of the 
initiative would put many drug dealers out of business.

Question 9 critics seem to come in two forms: cops and old squares. Oh, 
there probably are some hep young folk who are opposed, too, but by and 
large the opponents are wearing badges and stuffed shirts. They believe 
Question 9 could have a destructive effect on society, breeding drug 
addiction and crime.

Which is a fair contention, but how is marijuana any different than 
alcohol, which flows in the streets of this city day and night? What is the 
difference between driving drunk and driving high? They're both wrong, and 
they're both illegal. Yet we don't see anybody proposing to outlaw alcohol 
in Las Vegas or anywhere else for that matter.

You don't have to be a pothead to appreciate a pro-Question 9 argument. And 
you don't have to be a cop to be against it. It's one of the more 
interesting decisions that voters are being asked to make this year--or any 
year.

Mercury vote: Yeah, man, now pass the Funyuns.

[snip]
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D