Drug War Issues
Politics & Advocacy
Organizers of an initiative that would tax and regulate marijuana in Nevada filed it with the secretary of state's office in Carson City Wednesday. That is the first formal step in getting it before voters in the November 2012 elections.
The initiative would:
- Legalize the possession of up to an ounce by adults;
- Provide for up to 120 licensed retail outlets statewide; and
- Provide for up to 50 licensed growers to supply licensed retailers.
The initiative has no provision for growing your own.
Backers will need to gather 97,002 valid signatures to send the measure to the 2011 Legislature. If lawmakers fail to act, it would be placed on the 2012 ballot.
The initiative is sponsored by Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws, which is backed by the Washington, DC-based Marijuana Policy Project (MPP). MPP and local affiliates have tried three other times in the past decade to legalize marijuana in Nevada. In 2002, voters rejected a proposal to legalize up to three ounces; in 2004, a second attempt failed to make the ballot; and in 2006, a proposal to legalize up to one ounce lost with 44% of the vote.
Backers are counting on changing public attitudes toward marijuana to take them over the top this time. "The environment we feel has changed," said campaign manager David Schwartz at a press conference before filing the papers. "The discussion has become nationwide."
The campaign will hammer away at the increasingly popular "marijuana is safer than alcohol" argument, Schwartz said. "We will encourage voters to consider this fact and decide for themselves whether it makes sense to allow adults to use alcohol freely, but punish them if they choose to use a less harmful substance, marijuana."
That makes five states where marijuana legalization is on the agenda. California is a two-fer, with both a pending legalization bill (which will get a hearing and a committee vote next week) and at least one legalization initiative with a number of signatures gathered that virtually guarantee its qualifying for the ballot. Meanwhile, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Washington state have legalization bills pending or about to be filed too.
Permission to Reprint: This content is licensed under a modified Creative Commons Attribution license. Content of a purely educational nature in Drug War Chronicle appear courtesy of DRCNet Foundation, unless otherwise noted.
Comments
Alcohol? Prioretize tobackgo!
Yes, much effort was invested in a book on "Driving to Drink"-- but the well-publicized death numbers have nicotine $igarettes 4 times as big a problem. "Big Alcohol is a Running Dog for Big 2Wackgo"-- binge drinking can lead to youngsters selfmedicating out of a hangover by means of a "cigarette or two", and that could in most cases be the MOST devastating thing it does.
And though nobody wants to discuss child use, an outstanding virtue of cannabis is that it could help immunize millions for life against being recruited into slave tobackgo addiction. The reason is that with cannabis legalization comes de facto legalization of vaporizer, inhalers, e-cigarettes with THC instead of nicotine, and screened long-stemmed one-hitters, all of which can displace the hot burning overdose $igarette as method of choice among the masses who selfadminister nicotine, and a moderate habit is easier to kick than an overdose one. These utensils, which spell the end of tobackgo overdosage as we have known it, are presently hazardous to own and carry due to "drug paraphernalia" laws-- surely the main reason why $igarettes still exist on the planet despite what has been known medically during the past half century.
Please, activists, get busy and promote Single Toke legality for every herb, gender, age and nationality! If it works out as I am thinking, Dave and Armentano might share a Nobel Piece Prize ($1,500,000) which I am sure they will invest in
Cannabis Therapy programs worldwide.
Technical note: one ounce, sifted to tokeworthy particle size (1/16"), yields about 800-900 single servings.
No provision for growing your own and wait til 2012?
Very disappointing, kind of shocking. Every year I can't grow my own weed in my own garden on this good earth without committing a felony, my burning anger at this wildly hypocritical and reckless country deepens. The country is going to be bankrupt by the time they legalize pot.
Change
One day I will be able to come home from a hard days work, eat dinner, take a shower and settle in for a night's television with a joint and not be considered a criminal by all the people who's salary I pay.
Legal Weed
Dear stoners,
I understand your concerns on this issue, I my self have some experience smoking marijuana back in college. I wanted to legalize pott back when our country suffered a devistating attack by evil taliban forces; I have taken the responsibility to see that marijuana, medical or not, be avaliable for any american searching for a stimulating after work hobby. My fellow americans, I now ask that everyone come together and fight towards the legalization of marijuana, and fight those in washington that make money from all the poor men and women that are arrested or recieve a sitation simply for smoking a doobie.
Its four-twenty somewhere,
George W.
Fellow pot smokers and even the nay sayers
Understand, it's not about if you do or don't. It has become far more than that. This will mean one more item in the american economy that we can tax. Meaning a higher dollar amount available to spend on improving our communities and economy over all. Even if you as an individual do not smoke marijuana, you can still vote on it's legalization to do these great things. After all just because you don't smoke pot it does not mean everyone is going to follow suit. I'm sure your thinking of the quote dangers it would impose on other citizens of this great nation. I'm here to tell you its all bs propaganda and our government made it illegal due to the dangers of the time that was done. It was almost 40 years ago that was put into affect. Those dangers are gone and we as a people are past that. We are ready for a change. Please be better informed on this issue and do the research yourself and don't just take someone's word for it. Go read books go online and be informed before denying the issues at hand. It is time for a change and it starts with the individual Americans. Then we an move forward as a whole.
Thank for taking the time to study the issue.
An active supporter Larry
marijuana reg
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