NEVADA'S MEDICAL MARIJUANA PROGRAM TO START OCT. 1

Nevada's medical marijuana program will be launched Oct. 1 with or
without the $30,000 needed to cover first-year costs, a state
official says.

"We are going to take care of it with existing staff," Agriculture
Department Director Paul Iverson said Thursday. "It is no different
than any other unfunded mandate. We encourage donations, but we are
going to make it work with what we have."

With permission from their doctors, Nevadans who suffer from AIDS,
cancer, glaucoma and other illnesses can use marijuana for medicinal
purposes. Some studies have found the drug can alleviate the nausea
and help increase the appetite of people wasting away from severe
illnesses.

A new state law that goes into effect in October allows qualified
patients to grow as many as seven marijuana plants. The law is
patterned after a program in Oregon.

The law was passed after voters in two consecutive elections approved
a ballot question to set up the medical marijuana program.

To ensure approval of the law, Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani,
D-Las Vegas, removed provisions that allocated $30,000 to cover
Department of Agriculture costs for running the program.

Giunchigliani said she hoped Nevadans would donate money to help run
the medical marijuana program. But so far only $1,300 has been
donated.

Gov. Kenny Guinn hadn't included money to operate the medical
marijuana program in his two-year, $3.8 billion state budget.

The governor's failure to provide money prompted former gubernatorial
candidate Aaron Russo to run a series of ads blasting Guinn and
urging Nevadans to donate money to the marijuana program.

Iverson's agency will hold public hearings in Reno and Las Vegas in
September on regulations needed to begin the program. Iverson has
named staff employee Cecile Crofoot the medical marijuana program
project manager. She also has other duties with the Department of
Agriculture.