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Suetaz

Pot initiative may face promotion problems
Las Vegas City Life | Feb.25, 20

Two years ago, Jennifer Knight voted against an initiative to legalize marijuana possession in Nevada. Concerned it didn't address DUI issues, she joined the majority in saying no to the 2002 measure.

But Knight now backs a new effort to legalize pot in the state -- one that, when compared to the earlier measure, lessens the amount of marijuana a person can legally possess, strengthens DUI laws and sets harsher penalties for violators who supply minors under a state regulated system. And she believes plenty of others, frustrated with drug policy, are ready to switch sides.

"Our current laws aren't working. We need to take it off the streets, put strict regulations on it and keep it out of the hands of the kids," says Knight, spokeswoman for the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana. "Voters told us if we addressed certain issues, they'd approve it. We've done that."

The measure would allow adults over 21 to possess one ounce of marijuana. It would also set penalties of up to 10 years in jail for first-time offenders that provide pot to minors, and sentence anyone convicted of vehicular manslaughter while under the influence to a minimum of five years in prison.

But the committee faces a battle in convincing voters, not only from opponents but in spreading its message. On the day Knight's group filed the petition, the American Civil Liberties Union announced a lawsuit against the federal government and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority. The suit challenges a 2004 spending bill amendment allowing Congress to deny federal aid to any local transit agency that displays advertisements criticizing the government's "War on Drugs." It's censorship, say civil libertarians, since anti-drug groups are allowed space.

At stake in Las Vegas: $20 million, says ACLU aide Anjuli Verma. Asked about the ad ban as he rushed across the UNLV campus recently, ACLU of Nevada Executive Director Gary Peck shouted: "You can't allow some [to advertise] and not others."

Knight says the committee is not looking that far ahead. Its focus now is collecting signatures.

--Ryan Slattery

ryslattery@aol.com

I hope this 'Knight' in shining armor succeeds!

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Logos

Wow. Sometimes I wait to see how stories are taken by the readers before chiming in. It always amazes me that the items I find of high importance are generally the least commented on.

Here is an example of how to get this done. If you live in Nevada, look this lady up, see if there is anything you can do to help get this rolling. We can succede at the state level, and that is where we should focus our energies...

If Nevada made marijuana legal in a recreational sense, that is a victory. A HUGE one!

While I tend to dissagree with the stipulations on the driving aspect, I understand the need for it. I'll conceede that point, and rest my argument on the studies that have been done. I'd state in the wording that some sort of field sobriety test be the determining factor of impairment though. Even alcohol driving laws aren't that harsh, (I know someone who killed someone while driving drunk, and they didn't serve a day) and alcohol has been proven to be a determent to ones ability to drive, while all of the studies I have ever read about showed that a slight marijuana buzz actually lends to make one a better driver. The higher the use the more it drops from there... If you ask me, driving under any mental condition is just plain dangerous... Should be illegal.

Action list:
Find Jennifer Knight, and get the "Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana" contact information. (post to this thread)
Ask them how you can help.

If everyone here from Nevada went out and got signatures just in their own neighborhood, I'm sure that would help tremendously!

We have to win this fight because no one else is going to do it for us...

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Brother Logos
The more I learn, the less I know. | Truth doesn't change, only our perception of it does.
THC Ministry | The Aquarian Gospel of Jesus the Christ | The Reluctant Messenger of Science and Religion
True religion is real living, living with all one's soul, with all ones goodness and righteousness. --Albert Einstein

Bodega4*20

This lady has everything correct, legalizing is the only possible way out of this insane "drugwar". We need to hve legalization all over the U.S. Can someone explain to me why the government just won't legalize MJ because I don't get why they just don't? It's a waste of money and it isn't helping anyone (the drug war).

PsYcHoLoGiCaL

Well, I've read a bunch of articles on this over the past few weeks, but I was still unclear about a few aspects of the initiative, so I found the text of the initiative, and to my surprise it wasn't that long and it was actually an easy read. I recommend everyone read it, its very interesting, you can find it at http://regulatemarijuana.org/04init/index.php?ref=498. I also came across some MPP TV ads that you can watch them at http://www.stopteenuse.com/commercial/index.html.

I was really disappointed in 2002 when we lost the vote, hopefully this time around it will go though. Who knows, if it passes, maybe everyone will finally get a chance to see that regulation is the answer, not prohibition. I just hope the they can get past this ad problem though.

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"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." -- Thomas A. Edison

Suetaz

Don't have a link for Jennifer Knight, but for the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana, click here: RegulateMarijuana.org
Anyone in Nevada wanting to help CRCM can find the links and info they need there.