News (Media Awareness Project) - US NV: Wire: Thousands Of Nevada Residents Back Medicinal Marijuana |
| Title: | US NV: Wire: Thousands Of Nevada Residents Back Medicinal Marijuana |
| Published On: | 1998-06-23 |
| Source: | Associated Press |
| Fetched On: | 2008-09-07 07:25:38 |
THOUSANDS OF NEVADA RESIDENTS BACK MEDICINAL MARIJUANA
CARSON CITY (AP) - Reports from two rural Nevada counties have brought the
initial count of petitioners backing a plan to authorize marijuana for
medical treatment to 74,439.
The secretary of state's office said the figure, a raw count that must be
verified by July 7, compares with the petitioners' earlier estimate of
70,155 signatures collected in 13 counties.
Eleven of the counties had reported by Friday. The last reports came in
Monday from Esmeralda County, with 78 petitioners, and White Pine County,
with 605.
Verification steps to be taken before the "Nevadans for Medical Rights"
proposal can qualify for the November ballot include checks of all names in
counties with fewer than 500 petitioners, and sampling in the other counties.
Nevada law requires a minimum 46,764 petitioners representing 10 percent of
the voters in at least 13 of the state's 17 counties.
While the raw count is far higher, in some counties the petitioners can't
afford to lose many names in the verification process. The loss of one
county would stop the proposal cold since petitions were filed in the
minimum 13 counties.
The proposal would have to win voter approval this November and again in
November 2000 before it could take effect.
The NMR is part of the group that launched a successful 1996 medical
marijuana petition in California.
Under the plan, marijuana could be used by anyone suffering from cancer,
glaucoma, AIDS, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, or from severe nausea caused
by other "chronic or debilitating medical conditions."
A person who wants to use marijuana would have to get a go-ahead from a
doctor, and any use of the drug by a minor would have to be approved in
writing both by a doctor and the minor's parents.
A registry of patients authorized to use marijuana for medical purposes
would be available to police if they needed to verify a claim that it's
being legally used by someone.
A final section says an insurer wouldn't have to reimburse a health care
policyholder for costs of buying marijuana, and an employer wouldn't have
to make accommodations for pot-smoking by sick employees.
Checked-by: Richard Lake
CARSON CITY (AP) - Reports from two rural Nevada counties have brought the
initial count of petitioners backing a plan to authorize marijuana for
medical treatment to 74,439.
The secretary of state's office said the figure, a raw count that must be
verified by July 7, compares with the petitioners' earlier estimate of
70,155 signatures collected in 13 counties.
Eleven of the counties had reported by Friday. The last reports came in
Monday from Esmeralda County, with 78 petitioners, and White Pine County,
with 605.
Verification steps to be taken before the "Nevadans for Medical Rights"
proposal can qualify for the November ballot include checks of all names in
counties with fewer than 500 petitioners, and sampling in the other counties.
Nevada law requires a minimum 46,764 petitioners representing 10 percent of
the voters in at least 13 of the state's 17 counties.
While the raw count is far higher, in some counties the petitioners can't
afford to lose many names in the verification process. The loss of one
county would stop the proposal cold since petitions were filed in the
minimum 13 counties.
The proposal would have to win voter approval this November and again in
November 2000 before it could take effect.
The NMR is part of the group that launched a successful 1996 medical
marijuana petition in California.
Under the plan, marijuana could be used by anyone suffering from cancer,
glaucoma, AIDS, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, or from severe nausea caused
by other "chronic or debilitating medical conditions."
A person who wants to use marijuana would have to get a go-ahead from a
doctor, and any use of the drug by a minor would have to be approved in
writing both by a doctor and the minor's parents.
A registry of patients authorized to use marijuana for medical purposes
would be available to police if they needed to verify a claim that it's
being legally used by someone.
A final section says an insurer wouldn't have to reimburse a health care
policyholder for costs of buying marijuana, and an employer wouldn't have
to make accommodations for pot-smoking by sick employees.
Checked-by: Richard Lake
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