DEPUTY DRUG CZAR SAYS QUESTION 7 IS THE WORK OF RICH OUTSIDERS

Marijuana - Yes Or No?

Question 7 on this year's general election ballot has caught the
attention of many organizations within Nevada, as well as that of
the U. S. Drug Czar's Office. Recently, Deputy Drug Czar Tom Burns
visited Pahrump as a guest of the Nye Communities Coalition to
discuss the matter.

The question is an initiative petition to decriminalize the use of
marijuana for anyone over 21 and to allow its purchase through a
regulated market. Tax revenues from sales would be dedicated mainly
to alcohol and drug treatment and education programs.

Officer Todd Raybuck, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, gave
an introductory speech in which he claimed that the initiative for
getting Question 7 on the ballot did not stem from any action by
Nevadans but rather was the work of three billionaires who don't
live in Nevada.

Burns emphasized that these individuals, George Soros, Investment
Funds, Peter B. Lewis, founder and CEO of Progressive Insurance, and
John Sperling, founder of the for-profit University of Phoenix, are
philanthropists who picked the legalization of marijuana as their pet project.

"These men have tried getting this initiative passed in virtually
every state in the union. This year Nevada is ground zero," Burns said.

Nevada law makes possession of one ounce (the equivalent of up to 95
joints) or less of marijuana a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of
$600, or less than the fine for driving without a license. Only 3
percent of the 155,000 arrests statewide in 2005 were for marijuana
possession. In at least a third of those arrests, the offender was
merely given a ticket and released.

"Testing has revealed that the potency of marijuana has been
increasing in recent years. It has also been shown that the new
marijuana rewires the brains of individuals, causing a greater
substance dependency," said Burns. He added that should the
initiative be passed, it would still be illegal to use or distribute
marijuana at the federal level. He also said there are not enough
enforcement personnel to handle all the cases that would occur.

Burns also said the expense and time involved in such instances
would tie up the courts for years, mainly due to state's rights
issues, which would cost Nevadans exorbitant amounts of money.

He noted that since Nevada is considered the state where virtually
anything goes, through decriminalization it could become the "drug
capital of America."

This, he said, would open Nevada up to a multitude of costs related
to the treatment of substance abuse and injuries resulting in
disability and death.

Research indicates that only 18-22 percent of school children use
marijuana. Greater numbers use alcohol and tobacco, said Burns, but
those numbers could rise if marijuana use is legalized.

Sheriff Tony Demeo said, "I don't see that much advertising on this
issue. I also don't see that many efforts from opponents to educate
the public. Then, when it's closer to election time, people will not
be educated."

Lloyd Platson, a member of the Nye Communities Coalition, advised,
"There are education efforts being made throughout the state through
the collaboration of 13 statewide coalitions. These efforts are ongoing."

The coalition works to educate adults and children on the negative
impact of drugs and the debilitating affects of drug dependency.