Pubdate: Sun, 05 Nov 2006
Source: Nevada Appeal (Carson City, NV)
Copyright: 2006 Nevada Appeal
Contact:  http://www.nevadaappeal.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/896
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/topics/Question+7
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Cited: Question 7 http://www.regulatemarijuana.org

POT CRITICS SHOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO SPEAK

A Clark County judge made the right call last week when he ruled that 
elected officials and police officers should be able to give their 
views on a statewide ballot initiative that would decriminalize marijuana.

The judge said those officials have a right and a duty to publicly 
discuss political matters like Question 7, which would legalize 
marijuana possession by adults.

While we agree that's dangerous territory (you wouldn't want a school 
administrator advocating one school board candidate over another, for 
example), the marijuana advocates are building their campaign on 
specific assumptions that require an answer from the police and from 
government officials.

Specifically, they say their initiative would benefit police by 
freeing up their time and allowing them to focus on serious crimes. 
Without the input from police, we would have to accept that as fact. 
Yet no Nevada law enforcement agencies have stepped forward to 
endorse those views or to say they are unduly burdened by enforcing 
marijuana laws.

Likewise, the pot legalization advocates say taxing the drug would 
generate a great amount of tax revenue, another statement that 
deserves vetting by those best qualified, even if they happen to be 
government officials.

Do you think the marijuana advocates would be so concerned if police 
and government views were supportive of legalizing pot? Not very 
likely. The complaints filed by the group amount to an attempt to 
silence those who oppose them.

It represents another example of their lack of credibility in Nevada. 
How could we think otherwise when we watched supporters of the ballot 
initiative - funded almost entirely by out-of-state money - chant at 
an appearance of a federal drug policy official, "Czar go home, leave 
Nevada alone."

We wholeheartedly agree with half of what they're saying.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman