POT INITIATIVE BACKERS SEEK APPEAL

Backers of a November vote on whether to legalize small amounts of
marijuana in Nevada said Friday they will seek a hearing before a full
panel of judges on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals .

"Ultimately, we decided to have this issue thoroughly discussed by a larger
panel of judges because the dissenting opinion was so much more compelling
than the majority ruling," said Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana
spokeswoman Jennifer Knight.

A panel voted 2-1 on Wednesday to uphold U.S. District Judge Jim Mahan's
recent finding that petition-signers had to be deemed valid registered
voters on the same day they signed and not later on.

The marijuana group is trying to legalize possession of up to 1 ounce of
marijuana by adults. The group had hoped for a favorable ruling that would
have more than made up for a shortage of some 1,900 signatures on its
proposed ballot petition. The group needed a minimum of 51,337 names.

"If this ruling stands, Nevada will not be a very voter-friendly state,"
Knight said after the three-judge panel issued its ruling. "Voters' rights
have been thwarted by this."