Medical marijuana petition submitted

Wednesday, June 19, 2002 | 10:35 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Backers of a proposal that would decriminalize small amounts of marijuana in Nevada say they have gathered 107,000 signatures to put the issue on the November election ballot.

The secretary of state's office said the petition backers needed 61,336 signatures of registered voters and 10 percent of the voters in 13 of the 17 counties.

Billy Rogers, a spokesman for Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, said the issue qualified in 15 of the 17 counties. The drive failed only in Douglas and Elko counties, he said.

The proposed state constitutional amendment would allow adults in Nevada to possess up to three ounces of marijuana without being charged with a crime.

Susan Bilyeu, deputy secretary of state for elections, said county clerks would begin a raw count of the signatures that must be completed by next Monday.

Rogers said Nevada was the only state in the nation in which the nonprofit Medical Marijuana Project, based in Washington, conducted a voter petition. He said a national poll showed 61 percent of Americans don't think people should be arrested and sentenced to jail for a small amount of marijuana.

Rogers also said the proposal has support from law enforcement.

"Police officers know it is a waste of tax dollars and time to arrest those with small amounts of marijuana when they could be after murderers and rapists," he said.

Rogers said he did not know how much was spent by the Washington organization. Earlier, a spokeswoman said those who gathered the signatures were paid $1 a name, and that increased to $2 a name as Tuesday's deadline neared.

The petition, which must be passed twice by voters before it becomes part of the Nevada Constitution, authorizes the Legislature to set up a distribution system to get low cost marijuana to those who need it medically.

Rogers said it would be up to the Legislature to decide how these shops should operate and if it should be sold to those who are 21 or older.

In California, the federal government has tried to stop shops selling medical marijuana.

The proposed amendment would impose a tax on marijuana similar to the one levied on tobacco products other than cigarettes. A tax on tobacco products is imposed at 30 percent of the wholesale value. In Nevada, this is expected to produce more than $7 million in revenue next fiscal year.

Rogers, who is from Washington but will be based in Las Vegas until the election, said the group will hire a reputable firm to do an economic impact statement to show how much benefit this could be to the state.

The petition would also prohibit the shipping of marijuana either into or out of the state, unless federal law permitted it. It would prohibit television, radio, newspaper, magazine or billboard advertising of marijuana.

Voters here in 1998 and 2000 approved a constitutional amendment to permit the use of marijuana for medical purposes. More than 150 persons have received state cards to use the drug to ease their pain and suffering.