DRUG CZAR SAYS NEVADA MARIJUANA PLAN WOULD MEAN MORE ADDICTS

The federal drug czar says he didn't visit Nevada to tell people how to
vote on a state ballot initiative that would legalize possession of small
amounts of marijuana.

John P. Walters said Thursday he came to set the record straight on the
proposal to legalize possession of up to 3 ounces of marijuana.

Walters, chief of the Office of National Drug Control Policy, said
opponents of Question 9 feel like a"megaphone of big bucks"is spreading
false information.

"We have a momentous decision in this state. That's why I came,"he said
during a visit to a WestCare Nevada Treatment Center that treats teen
addicts."I'm not here as a federal official to wag my finger at the people
of Nevada."

Residents shouldn't think there's a benefit if the measure passes, he said,
because"no community is better off with more drugs."

"Don't let the community just walk away from this one,"said Walters, adding
that Question 9 would just create a bigger demand for drug treatment programs.

Walters also visited the state in July to urge a"no"vote on Question 9,
saying Nevada shouldn't become the center for drug tourism.

Billy Rogers, head of Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement, the main
political group supporting the measure, said there's no evidence the
initiative's passage would create more drug addicts.

He pointed out that the drug czar's own Web site shows the majority of drug
addicts in Nevada were treated last year for an amphetamine addiction.

"I think it's about time the drug czar was held accountable to the outright
falsehoods he's been putting out there,"Rogers said.

Walters also was challenged to a debate by Assemblywoman Chris
Giunchigliani, D-Las Vegas, who chairs the statewide steering committee for
Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement.

Walters refused, saying he'd debate the financial backers of the initiative
such as billionaire Peter Lewis, chairman of Progressive Insurance _ but
not"political consultants."

"If the federal drug czar isn't willing to debate a Nevadan in Nevada on
Question 9, he ought to go back to Washington, D.C., and quit telling us
how to vote,"Giunchigliani said.

Walters also mentioned University of Phoenix founder John Sperling as a
Question 9 backer, although Rogers said Sperling has not contributed to the
campaign. He confirmed that Lewis has.

Walters was scheduled to meet with law enforcement in Reno on Friday.

The ballot measure would make Nevada the first state to allow adults to
possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana. Pot would be sold only in
state-licensed and taxed smoke shops, and people couldn't smoke it in public.

The measure would have to pass twice _ in November and again in 2004 _ to
change the Nevada Constitution. Whether it could ever take effect is
unclear since federal law bans marijuana possession, and the U.S. Supreme
Court ruled last year that states can't make exceptions for medical use.