----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 15:23:05 -0700
Subject:US: Hemp Trade Nipped In The Bud Up TOC

Newshawk: Libertarians 1 - Drug Warriors 0 - http://www.plylar.org
Pubdate: Sun, 25 Aug 2002
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Webpage:
www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/08/25/BU1
11394.DTL
Copyright: 2002 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: letters@sfchronicle.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Author: David Armstrong
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hemp.htm (Hemp)

HEMP TRADE NIPPED IN THE BUD

U.S. Agencies Are Putting A Lid On Products From Versatile Plant

America's war on drugs is roiling the small but growing industrial hemp
business, throwing the industry's customers into doubt and confusion. It is
also causing something of an international flap.

Caught in the middle is John Roulac, a Sebastopol businessman, who says he
has found himself enmeshed in a Kafkaesque tale of circular logic and
rigid, incomprehensible bureaucracy.

Roulac, who owns and operates a company that imports industrial-grade hemp
seeds and hemp oil, was trying to bring a shipment of hemp seeds south
across the Canadian border in February. His plan was to mix the seed in
chips and candy bars that his company, Nutiva Inc., sells to the
health-food supermarket chains Whole Foods and Wild Oats, among others.

But it just wasn't that easy, as Roulac found out when he became an
unwilling combatant in the drug war.

"I had to make something like 50 phone calls over three days," recalls
Roulac, who finally convinced U.S. Customs officials that the seeds, which
contain faint trace amounts of THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana,
couldn't possibly get anyone high, and are a legal product. Besides, the
seeds are sterilized.

After three days of wrangling, Customs cleared the shipment, citing a
recent ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.
Finally, the shelled hemp seeds, grown legally in Canada and shipped by
Kenex Ltd. of Chatham, Ont., were on their way to Sebastopol.

Industrial hemp is a variety of Cannabis sativa, the plant that also
produces marijuana. But industrial hemp comes chiefly from the plant's
stalk and seeds and is not used to get high. Smokable, mind-expanding weed
comes from leaves and buds of different strains of Cannabis sativa.

During the past few years, hemp has become a popular ingredient in a wide
range of products, from bath oils and skin-care products to woven clothing
to muffins, cakes, candy bars and chips. All told, hemp is a $200
million-per-year business in the United States, up from $75 million in
1997, according to the Hemp Industry Association.

However, the industry is growing in fits and starts, and the regulatory
constraints on even seemingly innocuous hemp products have made producers
and importers hopping mad. So far this year, the hemp industry has filed
two lawsuits to loosen regulatory bonds.

In February, the Hemp Industry Association, with Kenex as co- plaintiff,
won a stay of a Drug Enforcement Administration edict that banned edible
hemp products that contain THC. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San
Francisco issued the stay, and is expected to issue a final ruling by early
next year.

Suit Against U.S. Government

Separately, Kenex, which saw a shipment of its sterilized hemp seed held at
the U.S. border for four months in late 1999 and early 2000, filed its own
lawsuit on Aug. 2 against the U.S. government, charging restraint of trade
in violation of Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The
suit has gone to a NAFTA panel for arbitration, only the sixth time a case
against the United States has reached arbitration since NAFTA went into
effect in 1994.

Kenex is asking for $20 million in compensation for lost business. As a
private entity, the Canadian company cannot under NAFTA rules overturn DEA
policy. (However, under NAFTA's Chapter 20, a lawsuit by a foreign
government, rather than a corporation, could do that.) A big cash award
would be a setback for the U.S. government's antidrug policy and could
perhaps stimulate growth in the cross-border hemp trade.

And that's exactly what hemp entrepreneurs such as Roulac would like to see
happen. Roulac says that the government's aggressive, "zero- tolerance"
antidrug policies are stifling legitimate trade that has nothing to do with
the multibillion commerce in illicit drugs.

"It's a constant minefield," he said. "The government throws up roadblocks
to this business. They hassle us at the border. When you're a small
company, you need to move your product fast."

George Washington Grew Hemp

Although it is controversial now, industrial hemp has deep roots in
American history and commerce. George Washington grew hemp at Mount Vernon,
his home in Virginia, to make rope, and the plant was a valuable
agricultural crop until the antidrug fervor of the 1930s; marijuana was
outlawed in 1937.

It is illegal to grow hemp in the United States, although cultivating the
plant as a nondrug, agricultural crop is legal in many countries, including
Canada, Britain and China. Hence, American purveyors of industrial hemp
must import all of their supply.

Most imported hemp comes from Canada, which legalized nondrug cultivation
of Cannabis sativa in 1998 and limits the THC content to 0.3 percent.
Because the trade is new, neither the Canadian nor U.S. governments have
records of the monetary value of imported Canadian hemp, according to the
Hemp Industry Association, a trade organization based in Occidental (Sonoma
County).

Under current law, "Some industrial forms of hemp are permitted in this
country," said Will Glaspy, a spokesman for the DEA. "It can be imported to
make rope, clothing, bath oil, any product that's not edible."

But the DEA maintains that edible products containing THC are strictly
forbidden under the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. Hemp seeds and hemp
oil contain less than 1 percent THC, compared with 5 to 15 percent THC in
marijuana.

Hemp Seed Not Narcotic

A consumer would bust a gut and die from the sheer quantity before getting
high from gorging on hemp seed with trace amounts of THC, said David
Bronner, principal of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soaps, based in Escondido (San
Diego County), which uses hemp oil in skin lotions and bath oils.

But zero tolerance means zero tolerance, according to the DEA's Glaspy, who
says "THC is a controlled substance." Glaspy said Congress would have to
amend the Controlled Substances Act before the antidrug agency could
approve edible hemp products containing any THC whatsoever.

That's a problem for the industrial hemp business, which considers edible
hemp products to be a prime growth area, in part because of hemp's alleged
health benefits. Hemp includes useful amounts of essential fatty oils and
vitamin E, according to the hemp trade organization.

But those benefits won't flow to consumers unless hemp, especially edible
products made with seeds and oil, are declared legal once and for all, say
industrial hemp advocates. Unless that happens, there will be more legal
wrangling and more lost business, they say.

Entrepreneur Thwarted

Kenex had been telling investors it expected most of its future business to
be in the United States, whose economy is 10 times the size of Canada's,
according to lawyer Todd Weiler, who is representing the Canadian company.

Weiler, a professor of international law at Canada's University of Windsor,
said border delays and adverse publicity have scared investors and reduced
the number of outlets willing to stock industrial hemp products.

"If you are, say, Whole Foods, are you really going to stock this stuff,
when you have so many choices?" Weiler asked.

A State Department spokesman declined to comment on Kenex's lawsuit, which
will be heard by a three-person NAFTA tribunal in Washington.

The hemp hassle is the latest trade dispute between Canada and the United
States, which have tangled in recent months over imported Canadian softwood
that Washington said is subsidized by Canadian provinces, to the detriment
of American lumber producers.

Edible Products Losing Sales

All this wrangling is taking a toll on the nascent American hemp business.

Roulac said he has lost sales for Nutiva products from supermarkets that
are uncertain about the products' legality. Roulac didn't provide dollar
amounts for any lost sales. Ordinarily, he said, Nutiva does about $35,000
per month in sales.

Herb Leigh, manager of the Whole Foods store in San Francisco, said he sold
off all the store's edible hemp products after Roulac's February run-in at
the border, but has not stocked any more, pending clarification on their
legal status. Leigh said the hemp products were marginal performers in San
Francisco but sold well in some other locations for Whole Foods, based in
Austin, Texas, which operates 130 stores across the nation.

None of the Whole Foods stores will order more edible hemp products pending
government certification of their legality, said Jolyn Warford, a Whole
Foods marketing executive in Emeryville.

But while the industrial-hemp industry is under fire from antidrug
authorities, it has attracted allies in business and politics.

The Body Shop, the British cosmetics and accessories company known for its
embrace of environmentalism, showcases a hemp product line including
products with hemp oil for soothing dry skin.

The state's hemp industry got a boost last week, when Assemblywoman
Virginia Strom-Martin, D-Duncans Mills, introduced a bill that would direct
the University of California to conduct an economic feasibility study of
alternative fibrous crops, including kenaf and industrial hemp.

"This is a new opportunity to revitalize our agriculture industry by
studying developing markets for industrial hemp," said Strom-Martin in a
statement about her bill, AB388. "There are many California manufacturers
that use hemp in their products, but they must import all the hemp they
use. That results in money leaving the state, and possibly the country, for
a product that can and should be grown in California."

Such developments stoke the fires of hope for Roulac, who has written three
books on the use of legal hemp products, and believes hemp has the
potential to rival soybeans as a cash crop.

"I would love to buy hemp from California farmers," he said,. "That way, I
wouldn't have to ship it all the way across Canada. Why can't we grow a
crop that's in practically every industrialized country except America?"

Hemp As An Industrial Crop

Although it is illegal to grow industrial hemp in the United States without
a permit from the Drug Enforcement Administration, it is legal to import
hemp to make numerous products. Here are some of the plant's diverse uses:

Uses For The Leaves

Animal bedding, mulch and mushroom compost

Uses For Seeds/Hemp Oil

Food: Granola, protein-rich flour, salad oil, margarine, food supplements
Health products: Soap, shampoo, bath gels and cosmetics Other uses:
Birdseed, oil paints, solvents, varnish, chain saw lubricants, printing
inks, putty and fuel

Uses For Hemp Stalk

Clothing: Fabrics, handbags, denim, diapers, socks, shoes and fine textiles
from the cottonized fibers Other textile uses: Twine, rope, nets, canvas
bags, tarps and carpets Paper: Printing paper, fine and specialty papers,
technical filter paper, newsprint, cardboard and packaging products
Building materials: Fiberboard, insulation material, fiberglass substitute,
concrete blocks, stucco and mortar Industrial products: agro-fiber
composites, compression-molded parts, brake/clutch linings and caulking

Hemp And Marijuana

Both are varieties of the species Cannabis sativa. Delta-9
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a mind-altering chemical, makes up 5 to 20
percent of marijuana, but less than 1 percent of hemp.

Source: Nova Institute, Courtesy of Hemp Horizons by John Roulac (Chelsea
Green Publishing)
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 15:26:57 -0700
Subject:Nevada could reap millions by legalizing marijuana, supporter says  Up TOC

  State could reap millions by legalizing marijuana, supporter says

Saturday, August 24, 2002

(08-24) 14:04 PDT CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) --

The leader of the drive to permit adult Nevadans to legally possess 
marijuana said the state could reap millions of dollars by selling and 
taxing marijuana.

Billy Rogers, spokesman for Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, said 
Friday his group has commissioned a study to determine how much the state 
might receive if it grew marijuana and sold it in stores like the ones Utah 
uses for liquor sales. Other options for the cultivation and sale also are 
being studied. Results are expected in late September.

"We are talking millions and millions of dollars of tax revenue," Rogers 
said. "We figure there are 150,000 regular marijuana users in Nevada who 
might buy an ounce per month."

Rogers' group circulated petitions to place Question 9 on November election 
ballots. Voters will be asked whether to amend the state constitution and 
allow the possession of 3 ounces or less of marijuana by adults. Police 
would not be able to interfere with adults who use such amounts privately.

While the legal marijuana portions of the initiative have drawn national 
attention, portions about selling and taxing marijuana have received little 
discussion.

The initiative, if approved by voters this fall and again in 2004, would 
force the Legislature in 2005 to set up a system to regulate "the 
cultivation, taxation, sale and distribution of marijuana" to adult 
Nevadans. The initiative even states the tax rate on marijuana will be the 
same as the rate -- now 37 percent -- for chewing tobacco and cigars.

Earlier this week, an analyst for the Governor's Task Force on Tax Policy 
estimated the state needs an additional $4.6 billion in the next 10 years 
to continue state services at current levels.

Rogers predicted the potential economic benefits from the state sale of 
marijuana will appeal to voters.

"Any time you find a revenue source that can help fund education and other 
programs, the implications are attractive to voters," he said. "Obviously, 
people in Nevada will look favorably on it."

Greg Bortolin, spokesman for Gov. Kenny Guinn, said the governor is not 
taking a position on Question 9. He added it is too early to discuss the 
potential benefits from legal marijuana when voters have not approved the 
ballot question even once.

Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement is a subsidiary of the Medical 
Marijuana Project of Washington, D.C. The organization has argued the 
public would be better served if police concentrated on major crime, rather 
than arresting people for small amounts of marijuana. Rogers serves as 
director of state policies for the marijuana project.


------------------------------
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 15:28:56 -0700
Subject:CA: Lynn & Judy Osburn Up TOC

from Scott Imler of the Los Angeles Cannabis Resource Center

Dear Friends,

I spoke to both Lynn and Judy Osburn in the last 48 hours and both
are holding up well.  Judy is staying busy helping other young women
with legal research and sisterly advice about the law.  They both spoke
fondly about the outdoor courtyard where they spend time each day.
Judy hopes to be released within a week or so.  Lynn's bond is likely to
be a little more challenging.  He will probably be there for awhile.

Prayers, cards, and letters would be really helpful if any of you are
so inclined.  Not only to lift their spirits (particularly Lynn's) but to
let the federal government know that a lot of folks are watching and
care deeply about the health, safety, and future of these two wonderful
and loving people.

Please send Lynn and Judy some words of encouragement.  They can
now receive mail and make phone calls.

Lynn Osburn
Prisoner# 21322-112
Metropolitan Detention Center
PO Box 1500
Los Angeles, CA 90053-1500

Judy's POW# is 21323-112, but doubts she will be there long enough to
get any mail.  Judy requests that folks write to Lynn since he will be
there longer.

Grace and Peace,
Scott Imler





------------------------------
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2002 20:44:59 -0700
Subject:CA: OPED: Two Cents On Hemp Up TOC

Newshawk: Libertarians 1 - Drug Warriors 0 - http://www.plylar.org
Pubdate: Sun, 25 Aug 2002
Source: San Francisco Chronicle (CA)
Copyright: 2002 Hearst Communications Inc.
Contact: letters@sfchronicle.com
Website: http://www.sfgate.com/chronicle/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/388
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hemp.htm (Hemp)

TWO CENTS ON HEMP

QUESTION: Should the nation's war on drugs extend to hemp
products?

Jim Bowden, Sonoma

Sure, if we're going to be stupid, why not go all the way? Ban hemp
and all its useful products. Let the Canadians grow it. They need a
good export crop.

Ray Carlson, Redwood City

The real reason for anti-hemp sentiment is entirely corporate. Its
usefulness threatens the plastic, artificial fiber, petroleum and
timber industries, just to name a few. The banning of hemp is the
failed war on drugs carried to its most dangerous extreme.

Dorris Lee, Livermore

Absolutely not. Hemp is a sustainable resource for making paper,
fabric and numerous other products that now devour trees, oil and
other nonsustainables. The ban on hemp and its products is ill-
informed, ignores environmental concerns and is one of the "war's"
biggest mistakes.

Ernie Mansfield, Berkeley

No. The hemp plant cultivated to produce clothing and other items does
not have any significant quantity of THC, the drug found in marijuana.
The "war on drugs" should concentrate on fighting the real drug
problems: heroin, cocaine, crack and other seriously addictive drugs.

Suzanne Gold, Larkspur

Does anyone really believe someone will become intoxicated by smoking
their hemp vest? Or drinking their hemp moisturizer? Replacing cotton
with naturally insect-resistant hemp would go far to reduce water
pollution. But our misguided, pseudo-moralistic leadership can't see
that far.

Maya Elmer, Berkeley

No. We have a much more serious problem with the drugs like crack,
methamphetamines and other designer drugs. The monies spent combatting
hemp should go to rehab centers, counseling, after-school programs,
and to look further into the causes of drug use -- poverty and other
social ills.

Robert Goldman, South San Francisco

Hemp is one of the most useful products that we can cultivate. Because
it's related to pot, we've prohibited its cultivation. This is as
crazy as the drug war itself. This week, we lost a helicopter and
started a major wildfire due to the drug war. I need a drink!

Two Cents is a pool of Chronicle readers we tap for anecdotes and
commentary.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Richard Lake
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 10:21:00 -0700
Subject:US: More Than 6 Million In Jail, On Probation Up TOC

Newshawk: Libertarians 1 - Drug Warriors 0 - http://www.plylar.org
Pubdate: Mon, 26 Aug 2002
Source: Contra Costa Times (CA)
Webpage: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes/3939060.htm
Copyright: 2002 Knight Ridder
Contact: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/bayarea/contact_us/feedback_np2
Website: http://www.bayarea.com/mld/cctimes
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/96
Author: Jonathan D. Salant, Associated Press

MORE THAN 6 MILLION IN JAIL, ON PROBATION

Number Of U.S. Adults Supervised By Criminal Justice System Rose By
147,700, Or 2.3 Percent, Between 2000 And 2001

WASHINGTON - One in every 32 adults in the United States was behind bars or
on probation or parole by the end of last year, according to a government
report Sunday that found a record 6.6 million people in the nation's
correctional system.

The number of adults under supervision by the criminal justice system rose
by 147,700, or 2.3 percent, between 2000 and 2001, the Justice Department
reported. In 1990, almost 4.4 million adults were incarcerated or being
supervised.

"The overall figures suggest that we've come to rely on the criminal
justice system as a way of responding to social problems in a way that's
unprecedented," said Marc Mauer, assistant director of the Sentencing
Project, an advocacy and research group that favors alternatives to
incarceration. "We're setting a new record every day."

Nearly 4 million people were on probation, 2.8 percent more than in 2000,
while there was a 1 percent increase of those on parole, to 731,147.

The number of people in prison grew by 1.1 percent to 1.3 million, the
smallest annual increase in nearly three decades. There was a 1.6 percent
increase of people in jails, to 631,240.

More than half of those on probation -- 53 percent -- had been convicted of
felonies, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics report.

Experts noted the recent trend of arrests declined for murder, rape and
other violent crimes. Many of those on probation were convicted of using
illegal drugs or driving while intoxicated, the report showed.

In addition, some states have eliminated mandatory minimum sentences for
certain crimes. California's Proposition 36, passed in 2000 with 61 percent
of the vote, requires treatment rather than incarceration for nonviolent
drug offenders. Most of those drug users wind up on probation.

"The collection of reforms, from drug courts to treatment in lieu of
incarceration to sentence reforms like getting rid of mandatory minimums
and expanding community correction options, have the effect of redirecting
people from prison to probation," said Nick Turner, director of national
programs for the Vera Institute of Justice. The nonprofit research group
works with governments on criminal justice issues.

The government report found that 46 percent of those discharged from parole
in 2001 had met the conditions of supervision, while 40 percent went back
to jail or prison for violations.

Texas had more adults under correctional supervision than any other state,
755,100. California was second with 704,900. Texas also had the most adults
on probation, 443,684, followed by California at 350,768.

Whites accounted for 55 percent of those on probation, while blacks made up
31 percent, statistics show. On the other hand, 46 percent of those
incarcerated were black and 36 percent were white.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 10:22:10 -0700
Subject:Canada: Pot In Peril, Flin Flon Looks To Other Crops Up TOC

Newshawk: CannabisLink.ca (http://cannabislink.ca)
Pubdate: Mon, 26 Aug 2002
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2002 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: letters@freepress.mb.ca
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Kevin Rollason

POT IN PERIL, FLIN FLON LOOKS TO OTHER CROPS

New Grow Options 'Tip Of Iceberg'

With the future of the federal medicinal marijuana program potentially in
doubt, the company chosen to grow the crop underground in a Flin Flon mine
shaft is exploring what other crops it could produce there.

Phil Robinson, president of the Flin Flon and Area Chamber of Commerce,
says Prairie Plant Systems is looking into growing genetically-modified
crops and pharmaceuticals.

"It makes sense," Robinson said yesterday.

"We see this as the tip of the iceberg to see the mine be developed even
further. We see it as a much larger operation."

Robinson said if the test plants were grown hundreds of metres underground,
there would be no danger of having any of their qualities spread to plants
in nearby fields.

"If they could put a new drug for people in bananas, it might be a boon.
But you have to make sure it's safe first and if you grow it down there,
you could make sure. You have to control it; you can't let it get away."
Prairie Plant Systems was awarded the $5.7-million, four-year contract in
2000 to grow 400 kilograms of marijuana annually.

In the last few months since Allan Rock was shuffled from health to the
industry portfolio and replaced by Health Minister Anne McLellan, the
future of the medicinal marijuana operation in an abandoned section of a
mine has been thrown into question.

In late December, Health Canada said the marijuana had been extensively
tested and all that was needed was to set up a distribution system.

But since April, McLellan has continued to say the marijuana won't be
released to patients until it had been put through clinical trials.

Alex Swann, a spokesman for McLellan, said "our goal is to develop a
research grade marijuana.

"We hope to complete this in the coming months... but we have to complete
the process of perfecting the product." A spokesman for Prairie Plant
Systems was unavailable for comment.

The company's Web site says the benefits of the underground growth chamber
is it "offers a relatively disease-free area, completely isolated from the
outside environment."

As well, the plants grow faster under conditions that are constantly
monitored by computers and, because they are 360 metres below the surface
of the Earth, they are in a secure area.

Mayor Dennis Ballard said the community has always hoped the underground
plant growing operation could be expanded with more and different crops
being grown there.

"There's not a lot of jobs at this point there, but there could be in
future and that's what we hope for," Ballard said.

"But right now, we're opening a new mall here... and that's probably going
to have 20 times more jobs than this operation has."

Dr. Jim Bole, director of the Cereal Research Centre in Winnipeg, said
there could be benefits to growing some experimental crops underground.

"Certainly, if there was an extremely valuable compound they were worried
about escaping, it could have potential," Bole said. And Wayne Fraser,
director of environment and plant engineering with Hudson Bay Mining and
Smelting, said Prairie Plant Systems wouldn't be lacking for space in the
company's underground mine if they decide to go ahead with their plans.

"This particular mine did 20 million tonnes of ore," Fraser said. "There's
almost an infinite amount of space down there.

"There's 10 million cubic yards of void space down there. There's 150 to
200 acres available in that mine.

"They're using less than an acre now."
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2002 10:23:10 -0700
Subject:NV: Nevada Ballot Question Would Make Pot Legal Up TOC

Newshawk: Libertarians 1 - Drug Warriors 0 - http://www.plylar.org
Pubdate: Mon, 26 Aug 2002
Source: Daily Camera (CO)
Copyright: 2002 The Daily Camera.
Contact: openforum@thedailycamera.com
Website: http://www.thedailycamera.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/103
Author: Tom Gorman, Los Angeles Times

NEVADA BALLOT QUESTION WOULD MAKE POT LEGAL

Proponents Say Tax From Drug Could Increase Revenues

LAS VEGAS - The state that legalized cathouses and craps is now considering
condoning cannabis.

A voters initiative on the November ballot would permit possession in
Nevada of up to three ounces of marijuana by persons 21 and older. They
would be allowed to smoke it in the privacy of their own homes, but not in
their car or public places.

While law enforcement officials are railing against the measure, state
officials are quietly pondering how the state-licensed sale and taxation of
marijuana may stoke the state's coffers by tens of millions of dollars
annually.

Legalizing marijuana by amending the state Constitution is a two-step
process. If a simple majority of voters approve the measure in November, it
would need to be reaffirmed by voters in 2004. The second vote could be
avoided if the measure is adopted next year by the state Legislature, which
already has decriminalized possession of marijuana. That course is
considered unlikely because most politicians - including Republican Gov.
Kenny Guinn - are not taking a stand on the issue, saying they will defer
to the voters' wishes.

Nevada is one of nine states that allows the use of marijuana with a
doctor's prescription, and it is one of 11 states that has lowered criminal
sanctions for possession of marijuana.

Ohio has the nation's most lenient marijuana possession laws, issuing a
civil citation and fining $100 for possession of up to 100 grams (about 3.5
ounces) of marijuana, according to the National Organization for the Reform
of Marijuana Laws.

Only Alaska previously has attempted to legalize possession of marijuana
altogether. But even pro-pot proponents said the 2000 ballot measure went
too far, because it didn't ban smoking in public and sought reparations for
jailed marijuana users. The ballot measure was defeated by 59 percent of
the voters.

State polls suggest Nevada voters are about evenly split on the question.
The state's largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has said the
measure "would end the needless harassment of individuals who peacefully
and privately use marijuana."

Nevada may seem a logical place to test the issue because of the state's
renowned live-and-let-live philosophy, as already manifested through its
extensive gambling and rural houses of prostitution. And as a practical
matter, the debate can be financially waged in one market. Clark County is
home to two-thirds of the state's residents. But it is also its most
unpredictable political audience because of the region's explosive growth
of non-Nevada transplants over the past decade. Most of rural Nevada is
conservative; Las Vegas is not.

The $375,000-petition drive, which collected more than 100,000 signatures
to qualify the measure for the ballot, was spearheaded by the
Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project. One of its policy directors,
Billy Rogers, took a leave of absence to head the local campaign under the
moniker Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement.

"Nevada is the only state in more than a decade to have passed
decriminalization legislation," Rogers said. "We believe we already have a
strong base of support in Nevada and that the legislature would give a
good-faith effort to implement the necessary laws."

Among public officials, the most vocal supporter of the measure is Chris
Giunchigliani, a teacher and Democrat assemblywoman in Nevada's part-time
legislature.

"We shouldn't be making criminals out of casual, at-home adult users," said
Giunchigliani, who last year successfully rallied legislative support to
reduce the penalty for possessing small amounts of marijuana from a felony
to a misdemeanor.

"This measure is reasonably well written and gets to the heart of the
matter: Our drug policy hasn't been working," she said. "We've created a
subculture of criminals among otherwise law-abiding citizens."

If the initiative becomes law, state officials would have to determine who
would grow the marijuana (some suggest the state's agriculture department),
and how to make it available through state-licensed retail outlets.

The notion of mining marijuana sales as a state revenue source, as the
initiative calls for, is enticing, Giunchigliani said. "If people are going
to smoke it, we might as well tax it and get some funding out of it," she said.

Opposition to the marijuana initiative has not yet organized under a single
banner, but law enforcement officials throughout the state are criticizing it.
__________________________________________________________________________
Distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in
receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Beth
------------------------------
End of Restore-Digest V2002 #175
********************************