PETITIONS PASS MUSTER: Marijuana proposal to be on ballot
Measure would allow adults to possess small amounts of substance By ED VOGEL
REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
CARSON CITY -- Nevada voters will be asked in November whether adults should be allowed to possess small amounts of marijuana, the secretary of state's office announced Tuesday.
Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement turned in 74,740 valid signatures on petitions to change the state's marijuana laws, Deputy Secretary of State Susan Bilyeu said. The organization, an offshoot of the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, needed at least 61,336 valid signatures to place the question on the Nov. 5 general election ballot.
The proposal to allow adults to possess as much as three ounces of marijuana without police interference needs approval in the November election and again in 2004 to become part of the Nevada Constitution.
"The success of our petition provides solid evidence that most Nevadans think it is a waste of their tax dollars to arrest people with small amounts of marijuana," said Billy Rogers, a spokesman for Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement.
"Nevadans support this initiative because it allows law enforcement the resources to track down terrorists, murderers, rapists and other violent criminals."
FBI records show the number of people arrested on marijuana charges nationally reached nearly 750,000 in 2000, up from fewer than 300,000 in 1991.
Until last year, Nevada had the strictest marijuana law in the nation. People possessing any amount of marijuana could be charged with a felony, although most received lesser charges in exchange for attending drug treatment programs. Possession of one ounce or less of marijuana in Nevada is now a misdemeanor, punishable by a $600 fine.
Under the Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement proposal, adults would not be arrested if they possessed three ounces or less of marijuana. They still could not use the drug in public places or while driving.
The petition also calls for the state to set up a distribution plan to provide medical marijuana to qualified patients.
Currently, 185 people in Nevada have permission to use marijuana for medical reasons. They must grow their own marijuana. How they acquire seeds is left up to the qualified users.
Besides meeting the total signature requirement, Bilyeu said Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement met a second requirement by collecting a sufficient number of signatures in 14 of the state's 17 counties, falling short only in Douglas, Elko and Nye counties. Under state law, sufficient signatures had to be collected in at least 13 counties.
While permitting adults to use small amounts of marijuana, Rogers said this proposal recognizes the need to prevent irresponsible use of marijuana by minors and drivers.
"Today, responsible and other law-abiding citizens face arrest and imprisonment for possessing small amounts of marijuana," he said.
"This initiative will protect responsible people and punish those who use irresponsibly."