Petition seeks legal marijuana possession

Monday, May 13, 2002 | 9:09 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- A drive started this weekend to collect more than 61,000 signatures on a petition to change the Nevada Constitution to allow adults to possess three ounces or less of marijuana without being charged with a crime.

Backers want to qualify the petition for the November ballot but admit it could be difficult to gather that many signatures before the June 18 deadline.

"It's a long shot," said Gail Tuzzolo, spokeswoman for Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, based in Las Vegas.

The petition would also require the state to set up a system to distribute low-cost marijuana to low-income people who need it for medical purposes. The state would tax the sale of marijuana in much the same way it does tobacco, the petition states.

Tuzzolo said the group behind the plan is the Marijuana Policy Project of Washington, which has about 7,000 members. She said similar drives are moving forward in other states.

To amend the Nevada Constitution the group must gather 61,336 signatures of registered voters in the next five weeks -- and 10 percent of the voters in 13 of the 17 counties must sign the petition for it to qualify for the November ballot.

The proposal would have to be passed this year and again in 2004 by the voters before it would become part of the constitution.

Tuzzolo said this group is different from the one that pushed through a constitutional amendment to allow those with doctor's statements to use marijuana for medical purposes such as easing the pain from cancer or other illnesses.