QUESTION 7 WOULD REGULATE MARIJUANA USE

I'm writing to respond to an Oct. 21 letter from Lee Gliddon, who
opposes Question 7, the initiative to tax and regulate marijuana in
Nevada.

Mr. Gliddon is apparently not familiar with the specifics of Question
7. Public consumption of marijuana is explicitly prohibited under the
initiative, therefore the scenario he paints of unsuspecting
passers-by getting a "contact high" from public marijuana use would be
illegal if Question 7 passes.

Citizens who support regulating marijuana are not focused on "getting
high no matter what the effects may be on others." Last year Nevada
spent $42 million arresting nearly 5,000 people for marijuana
possession, while nearly 10,000 violent crimes went unsolved in 2005.

Our state is wasting precious resources, and our marijuana laws create
a criminal market that finances the activities of violent gangs and
drug dealers. Our marijuana laws are a complete failure, so we're
proposing the replacement of this failed policy with one that might
actually work - and be far less harmful to our society. By regulating
marijuana, we can create a sensible marijuana policy for Nevada.

Neal Levine, Las Vegas