DEA DIRECTOR CRITICIZES MARIJUANA BALLOT MEASURE

The director of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration denounced
Thursday a Nevada ballot measure that would legalize the possession of
small amounts of marijuana, saying it would bring the wrong type of
tourists to the state.

Director Asa Hutchinson said the initiative, if passed by voters, would
encourage teens to experiment with drugs and put Nevada in conflict with
federal law.

"That would leave Nevada with one of the most liberal policies on drugs. -
What kind of tourism will Nevada attract?" Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson said the initiative is the work of a national group that wants
to see marijuana completely legalized - not a grassroots effort of Nevadans.

Hutchinson was at the Reno Convention Center as part of a 30-state tour
called "Meth in America: Not in Our Town." He addressed the national Elks
convention, receiving a standing ovation from thousands of conventioneers.

In another speech to local, state and federal officials, Hutchinson said
methamphetamine is different from other illegal drugs because much of it is
produced in the United States.

"We can't blame methamphetamine on our South American neighbors,"
Hutchinson said.

Meth labs leave behind toxic byproducts that are costly to clean up,
according to the DEA.

And many meth labs are in homes with children, who not only witness the
illegal activity, but often end up with drugs in their system, Hutchinson said.

Hutchinson praised Nevada lawmakers for tightening controls on
pseudoephedrine, a key ingredient in methamphetamine recipes.

Hutchinson called for more drug testing in the workplace, and employee
assistance programs for workers found to be using drugs. About 75 percent
of drug users are employed, he said.

Although Hutchinson's talk focused on methamphetamine, reporters who met
with him afterward wanted to know his views on the marijuana initiative.

The measure, which qualified Tuesday for the Nov. 5 ballot, would legalize
adult possession or use of 3 ounces or less of marijuana.

In 2001, state legislators relaxed marijuana laws by making possession of
less than an ounce a misdemeanor. Nevadans approved the use of medical
marijuana in 2000.

Hutchinson said although he opposes Nevada's marijuana initiative, his
office won't campaign against it. But if opposition forms against the
ballot measure, Hutchinson said his office would be willing to help by
providing information.

Hutchinson said some mistakenly believe that marijuana is not harmful. But
more teen-agers seek treatment for marijuana abuse than for any other drug,
including alcohol, he said.

DEA agents seized 42 kilograms of methamphetamine in Nevada last year, up
from 24 kilograms in 2000 and 31 kilograms in 1999. Fifty-two percent of
the DEA's drug investigations in Nevada are methamphetamine cases,
officials said.

Federal, state and local officials shut down 255 meth labs in Nevada last year.

Despite the seizures, methamphetamine still is readily available locally,
said Theresa Lemus, executive director of Northstar Treatment and Recovery
Center in Reno.

Northstar treated more than 3,000 patients last year, and more than 75
percent of those were meth abusers, Lemus said.

The effects of methamphetamine addiction are devastating, Lemus said,
ranging from medical and dental problems, trouble with the law and families
that fall apart. And methamphetamine use cuts across age groups and
economic levels, she said.

"This is not confined to lower-class populations in any way, shape or
form," Lemus said.