Thursday, May 22, 2003 | 11:22 a.m.
SUN STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
WASHINGTON -- House Republicans want to take away drug enforcement money from state and local police officers and give it to federal agents in states, including Nevada, that have legalized marijuana for medical use.
Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., and local and state law enforcement officials say the measure unfairly insinuates that authorities in such states are soft on crime. The measure is a slap in the face of state's rights, they said.
"I think this is an outrageous intrusion to the people of Nevada, whose collective wisdom voted for legalizing marijuana for medical use in limited cases," said Berkley, who vowed to fight the proposal.
Noting that Rep. Mark Souder of Indiana was behind the proposal, she said, "A member of Congress from a different state is attempting to impose the will of the federal government and his own personal views on the people of the state of Nevada.
"This proposed legislation would take away any federal funding for law enforcement in our fight against methamphetamine and all other types of dangerous drugs and narcotics. It is short-sighted," Berkley said.
Clark County District Attorney David Roger agreed: "I take exception to the federal government's implication that we are soft on crime. We take drug investigations very seriously. I don't feel we should completely turn over such investigations to the U.S. government."
Tom Sargent, spokesman for the Nevada attorney general's office, said "our office is very concerned about state's rights. The federal government has no exceptions to scheduled or illegal drugs that are deemed to be used for legal purposes. That issue at some point has to be looked at and resolved."
The GOP-sponsored legislation would also allow the Bush administration's drug policy office to launch an advertising campaign to deliver the message that marijuana should not be legalized.
Both provisions were initiated by Congress, but they clearly reflect the Bush administration's desire to strictly enforce marijuana laws. Federal law does not permit legalization for medical use, although eight states allow it.
Nevada voters passed a ballot initiative in 2000 approving medical use of marijuana, but rejected a measure in 2002 that would have legalized possession of up to 3 ounces.
The congressional legislation would keep the Office of National Drug Control Policy in business another five years.
Tom Riley, spokesman for White House drug policy director John Walters, said: "One of the duties of the drug czar is to oppose efforts to legalize drugs. There's a concern in Congress that marijuana is more harmful than most people perceive. They want to make sure this agency keeps a focus on that."
Walters has traveled the country to speak out against easing marijuana laws. He made two trips to Nevada last year to campaign against Nevada's marijuana initiative.
Riley said no issue-oriented ads were planned. However, he added, "We want as much flexibility as possible."
The House Government Reform Committee was expected to add language prohibiting ads expressly advocating support or defeat of a candidate or ballot question.
Groups opposed to strict criminal enforcement of marijuana laws said more than $11 million could be eliminated from state and local police budgets in "high-intensity" drug trafficking areas. The money would go to federal law enforcement officers because local police could not enforce all marijuana laws in states that legalized the drug for medical use.
The House bill is sponsored by Souder, chairman of the House Government Reform criminal justice subcommittee. His staff director, Chris Donesa, said the switch is needed because the federal government would take on an added burden, but emphasized the money would be used in the same high-intensity areas.
Donesa added that local and federal officers work together in those areas anyway, so there would be little practical effect.
Steve Fox of the Marijuana Policy Project said his group was especially concerned about the possibility of huge advertising expenditures by the White House in an attempt to influence elections.
archive
