‘Drug czar’ blasts proponents of pot legalization initiative

Wednesday, July 24, 2002 | 10:57 a.m.

Proponents of a state ballot initiative to legalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana are throwing up a smoke screen when they say the measure is meant to help law enforcement, the White House drug czar said today.

"Let's not kid ourselves -- this is about helping the marijuana dealers by making it easier to buy and sell on a wider scale and eventually legalize all drugs," said John Walters, the national drug control policy director and so-called "drug czar."

Walters was in Las Vegas today to address an anti-drug law enforcement convention at the Hilton.

Prior to a news conference, he told the Sun that Nevada is a key battleground in the war on drugs because of the initiative that got put on the November ballot by the Marijuana Policy Project.

Billy Rogers, who is on leave from that organization to organize efforts for local supporters of the measure, Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, said Walters is "out of touch with reality" and doubts he has read the initiative.

"It is not true that our goal is to legalize all drugs," Rogers said.

"And if the drug czar had read the initiative he would not have said that this would aid the marijuana dealers because it says transfer of marijuana in and out of Nevada is strictly prohibited."

Passage of the question in November and again in 2004 would constitutionally protect the rights of people to possess up to three ounces of marijuana.

Rogers' group argues that the police and the courts are clogged with too many minor pot possession cases.

The group also says there are safeguards in place in the initiative that would provide stiff penalties for people who smoke marijuana in public, sell pot to minors or kill people while operating vehicles under the influence of marijuana.

Walters was not impressed.

"We already have stronger prohibitions under current laws," he said. "I would not expect that anyone with common sense would accept that the law would work any better with passage of this initiative because there would be more drugs available and marijuana use would be a lot higher."

Walters said this is an issue that will be highly influenced by marketing. He says proponents will spend a lot of money and use marketing tools to pass the measure.

Walters said he would make another trip to Nevada as election day draws closer to help educate voters.