NEVADA PANEL RECOMMENDS TREATMENT, NOT PRISON, FOR DRUG ADDICTS

CARSON CITY - The Nevada Supreme Court's Judicial Assessment Commission has
recommended treatment instead of prison for drug users and a misdemeanor
ticket instead of felony charges for possessing small amounts of marijuana.

Possession of any amount of pot and being under the influence of any drug
are now classified as felonies under Nevada law. The state's marijuana
possession laws are toughest in the nation.

But the commission, appointed and chaired by Chief Justice Bob Rose, has
urged those penalties be sharply reduced. Under their proposal, possession
of less than an ounce of marijuana would be a misdemeanor and handled by
issuing a citation.

If the amount was more than an ounce but less than four ounces, the offense
would be punishable as a gross misdemeanor. Only when more than four ounces
of marijuana was involved would the charge remain a felony punishable by
one to six years in prison.

In addition, unless another offense involving a greater penalty was
involved, those under the influence of an illegal drug would face a
misdemeanor. But the proposal gives judges the power to order that person
into a treatment program.