Comments (14) | Add a comment
Marijuana legalization vote sought
Tools
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL CAPITAL BUREAU
Updated: Apr. 10, 2012 | 10:31 a.m.
CARSON CITY -- Confident that the third time will be a charm, a group called Nevadans for Sensible Marijuana Laws on Wednesday announced another petition drive that could lead to voters deciding to legalize marijuana.
Noting that 39 percent of the state's voters in 2002 supported legalizing marijuana and 44 percent backed it in 2006, campaign manager David Schwartz said he was confident the majority will support the petition if it secures a spot on the 2012 election ballot.
The group is a subsidiary of the Marijuana Policy Project, which has provided much of the funding for the past ballot initiatives. This time, it wants to let adults use and transport up to 1 ounce of marijuana. They would not be permitted to use the drug in public places.
No state has legalized marijuana, although voters in Denver in 2006 voted to legalize the use of small amounts by adults. Marijuana remains illegal in Denver, because of a Colorado state law.
Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto would not comment on the petition and what action her office might take if voters legalize marijuana.
The drug remains illegal under federal law, and federal officials have threatened to sanction states that permit its use.
Thirteen states, including Nevada, allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes to registered users. Earlier this year, the U.S. attorney general's office announced it would not prosecute legitimate medical marijuana users.
In a news conference in front of the state Capitol, Schwartz said studies show marijuana is a far less harmful substance than alcohol.
"A legal marijuana market would provide adults with a safer recreational alternative to alcohol," he said.
Schwartz' petition calls for setting up 120 retail stores in Nevada where marijuana would be sold to adults. Fifty people would be licensed to grow marijuana. A $50 per ounce state tax would be placed on buyers.
To get the measure on the ballot, the group must collect 97,002 valid signatures on its petitions by Nov. 10. Then the proposal would be given to the Legislature, which would have to make some decision on the plan within the first 40 days of the 2011 session.
If legislators do not implement the petition provision, the issue would be placed before voters on the November 2012 ballot.
Comments
Terms & Conditions
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsiblity of the authors. The Review-Journal does not review comments before publication nor guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by the comment policy. If you see a comment that violates the policy, please use the Report Abuse button.
Some comments may not display immediately due to an automatic filter. These comments will be reviewed within 24 hours. Please do not submit a comment more than once.
Note: Comments made by reporters and editors of the Las Vegas Review-Journal are presented with a yellow background.
RSS
Twitter
Facebook
Holland is not around those pot producing countries but it wouldn't matter anyways. Its called supply and demand. If you sell a better product cheaper, people will stop buying the other stuff(black market) and eventually those people who fund it will find its not worth the time anymore due to the fact that they cant profit like before.
VoR,
Holland isn't surrounded buy marijuana producing countries, like Canada and Mexico.
Show me how they will make sure the marijuana you possess is lawful and I will buy into it.
You could also see the creation of a tax law making it a felony to possess untaxed marijuana, as other states do. So,you have changed a misdemeanor offense into a felony.
It has been voted down twice - Once had 30% - Then had 44%.
How do we tax an untraceable drug?
$50 an ounce is more than half of the street value. Who would not buy black market, which is going to save you a ton of money and the govt. can't track it?
You always hear about legalization and big taxes. Oh how great the revenue would be. If you tax a product so great, the black market will still be there. There will still be violence and drug dealers.