SHERIFF CANDIDATES SAY DRUGS ARE MAJOR PROBLEM

The five candidates for Carson City sheriff said Thursday that illegal
drugs are one of the biggest problems facing the capital city at a
candidate forum at the Carson City Community Center.

Each candidate opposed the ballot initiative to legalize adult possession
of 3 ounces or less of marijuana. Their views disagreed with the Las
Vegas-based Nevada Conference of Police and Sheriffs, which Tuesday
supported the initiative because police should be working on more serious
crimes.

In Carson City, however, marijuana and methamphetamine are two of the most
prevalent illegal drugs sold, the sheriff candidates said.

"This (ballot initiative) would be nothing more than putting blinders on,
saying we can't do anything about it, so lets legalize it," said candidate
Scott Burau, 48, chief deputy in the sheriff's office. "The next step would
be why not? Anything goes."

Wayne Fazzino, an investigator for the attorney general, said he is wary of
people who are behind the marijuana initiative.

"Take a look sometimes at the people who are pushing these propositions,"
said Fazzino, 49. "Its not the fine, upstanding citizens; it is the dopers
and the dope heads, and I've watched this happening for some time now."

Deputy Bob Guimont said if the ballot initiative became law, it would
induce more students at Carson High to use marijuana.

"We've got kids 15 and 14 drinking beer, and if the kids in the high school
are saying the toughest thing to get is beer, they are definitely going to
be able to get marijuana," said Guimont, 35. "I've dealt with a lot of
children who have attempted to commit suicide in the past and it is all
based on depression. Nobody understands that marijuana is a central nervous
system depressant."

Sheriff's detective Richard Mendoza, 52, took Guimont's point even further.
He said he was not "100 percent in favor" of current Nevada laws legalizing
medical marijuana use "if there were another prescription drug that would
have the same effect."

Mendoza disagreed, however, that beer is more accessible to teenagers than
marijuana.

"Marijuana can be grown in your back yard and beer can't," Mendoza said.

The forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Carson City and the
Nevada Appeal, attracted more than 100 people to the Sierra Room of the
community center.

"It is very important that everyone in this room and everyone in this city
understand what types of pressure from the outside are being applied on us
to legalize small amounts of marijuana," said candidate Ken Furlong, 47, a
major crime investigator with the Nevada Division of Investigation.

"We understand that we have gone through the medical process and now we are
under the very short three-ounce process. It shouldn't take a genius to
figure out that the next step is full legalization. I do not support ideas
that are intended to sway my opinion in a step process. I'd rather vote
straight-up, 'no.'"

Mendoza and Furlong stressed that children in Carson City schools should be
educated early to the dangers of all illegal drugs.

"We have to educate our children on using better positive alternatives in
their decision making capabilities when they are confronted by this through
their peer groups." Furlong said.

Guimont said the key drug problem in Carson City is not marijuana but
methamphetamine. He and other candidates agreed that about 85 percent of
the street crimes in Carson City are tied to illegal drug use.

"They (drug dealers) are tossing it (methamphetamine) out to everybody in
your neighborhood, hoping getting you hooked," Guimont said. "And once you
are hooked, you will spend every penny you have to buy more dope. When you
run out of stuff, you will take your family's property. And when you are
done with your family's property, you are going to go to your nice neighbor
next door."

Mendoza said the illegal drugs make their way into Carson City in different
ways.

"We have a lot of drugs coming up from the (Mexican) border." Mendoza said.
"We have a lot of drugs that are manufactured right here in town. We have
drugs that are being sold in the school. We recently had several teen-agers
arrested in the school for dealing in drugs. We need to cut this snake's
head off."

Burau agreed drug users must be stopped.

"Narcotics is going to continue to be a problem, not only in Carson City
but nationwide, as long as there is a market and somebody is willing to pay
the price," Burau said. "Is Carson City any more unique than any other
city? No. Does Carson City have a drug problem? Yes. But so does Los
Angeles, so does Fernley and so does Elko."