MEDICAL MARIJUANA ATTACHED TO BILL

CARSON CITY (AP) -- An assemblywoman has piggybacked a voter-approved
amendment allowing medical marijuana onto her bill reducing penalties for
possession of marijuana.

"No legislator was bothering to implement what the voters passed," said
Assemblywoman Chris Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas. "A legislator has to do it
and nothing was coming."

Although 65 percent of the voters last November approved the ballot
question to let doctors recommend marijuana for cancer, AIDS and other
patients, the state laws don't include a way to automatically implement
their wishes.

The constitutional amendment calls for the Legislature to come up with a
registry of people authorized to use marijuana and to provide a way for
them to acquire marijuana.

Giunchigliani wants to set up a state registry of marijuana users similar
to the registry operated by state health officials in Oregon.

Unlike Oregon, which lets authorized users grow marijuana plants, she wants
the state to provide marijuana, probably through a state-run farm.

She doesn't favor a proposal backed by an ad hoc committee of doctors and
pharmacists to have the University of Nevada Medical School carry out an
experimental program on the benefits of medical marijuana.

Dan Hart, the leader of Nevada for Medical Rights, met with Giunchigliani
this week and backs her medical marijuana plan. His organization, a branch
of Americans for Medical Rights, lobbied for Nevada to allow sick people to
use marijuana. Nine states now have medical marijuana laws.

Eventually, Hart predicts the Legislature will sever the misdemeanor
marijuana proposal from the medical marijuana initiative.

Giunchigliani tried unsuccessfully two years ago to induce the Legislature
to lower marijuana possession penalties. She's more confident about passage
this legislative session.

"No one wants the felony law," she said.

Under her bill, people with small amounts of marijuana would have to pay
$500 penalties. When convicted a second time, they also must attend a
course on drug usage.

Nevada law now makes possession of any amount of marijuana a felony
offense, though generally offenders bargain the crime down to a lesser penalty.