MARIJUANA ADVOCATES' HOPES UP IN SMOKE IN NEVADA

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A trailblazing effort to make Nevada the first
state to legalize possession of up to 3 ounces of marijuana went up in
smoke on Tuesday as more than 60 percent of state voters rejected the
controversial ballot initiative.

Despite the famously libertarian leanings of Nevada -- a state where
gambling is a chief industry and prostitution is legal -- state voters
were going against legal pot possession by almost 2 to 1 with about
half the precincts reporting.

"There is a silent majority of good people in Nevada who care about
families," said Sandy Heverly, executive director of the anti-drunken
driving group Stop DUI, which campaigned against the initiative.

The measure, Question 9, would have started the process of legalizing
possession of marijuana and may eventually have required the state
legislature to set up a system for the sale, manufacture and taxation
of marijuana -- a key hope of marijuana advocates, including many
people who believe it is a valuable drug for treating illnesses
ranging from cancer to glaucoma.

The drug was banned by the U.S. Congress in 1937 and would have
remained illegal under federal law, but supporters had hoped an
electoral show of support for decriminalization might help persuade
more lawmakers to rethink the prohibition.

President Bush's drug policy director, John Walters, visited the state
twice this fall to fight the measure, telling voters marijuana is an
"addictive gateway drug" that leads to the use of cocaine and heroin.