THE BIG QUESTIONS

Candidates are taking a back seat to ballot initiatives in the Nov. 5 election

It's unusual for a modern election to deal with important,
thought-provoking issues. Most elections involve political candidates who
do everything in their power to avoid real issues, preferring to repeat
time-honored platitudes that mean nothing and upset no one.

In the Nov. 5 election, however, Nevadans have a rare opportunity to cast
ballots on issues of significance--issues on which they may have strong
opinions and on which friends, relatives and colleagues may vociferously
disagree. The candidates, by and large, are taking a back seat to ballot
questions concerning gay marriage, marijuana legalization, publicly owned
utilities, homeless services and secondhand smoke.

And that's not all. There also are ballot questions dealing with the
spending of taxpayer money, a subject that never lacks for public interest.
In one case, money would go toward tackling traffic congestion in Las
Vegas. Another question would raise funds to protect native habitat and
improve recreation facilities across the state. Still another would raise
money for the library system in Henderson.

In short, for the occasional voter this is a good election to go to the
polls. You may not know much about the candidates for attorney general or
district judge or Board of Regents, but you likely have opinions you'd like
to express about some of the ballot questions.

What follows is a Mercury guide to the big ballot questions. See you at the
polls.

[snip]

Question 9

What is the difference between Mary Jane and Johnny Walker? That, in
essence, is what voters must ask themselves about Question 9.

This is a big deal. The nation is watching to see whether little ol' Nevada
will be a trendsetter once again in the area of recreational living.
Remember when Nevada was the only state with legal gambling? Now 48
freaking states have some form of legal gambling. Question 9's advocates
back in Washington, D.C., are hoping Nevada starts a similar trend when it
comes to marijuana. According to several polls, it's going to be close.

The initiative is the product of a petition drive sponsored by Nevadans for
Responsible Law Enforcement, a local group affiliated with the Marijuana
Policy Project in Washington. NRLE volunteers fanned out across the state,
gathering 109,000 signatures--a state record--in 40 days to qualify the
question for the ballot. If it passes in November, the question must be
approved again in 2004 to become law.

The initiative seeks to alleviate an array of concerns that voters might
raise. Only state-licensed establishments could sell marijuana, and only to
adults. Use would be prohibited in public places, and transporting pot out
of Nevada would be illegal. Marijuana sales also could be heavily taxed,
providing a new revenue source for the perennially cash-strapped state.

"Most people say, `I don't care what you do in your own home,'" says Billy
Rogers, campaign manager for NRLE. "This initiative allows responsible
adults to possess marijuana in their own homes, and it prevents
irresponsible people from acting irresponsibly." Rogers says passage of the
initiative would put many drug dealers out of business.

Question 9 critics seem to come in two forms: cops and old squares. Oh,
there probably are some hep young folk who are opposed, too, but by and
large the opponents are wearing badges and stuffed shirts. They believe
Question 9 could have a destructive effect on society, breeding drug
addiction and crime.

Which is a fair contention, but how is marijuana any different than
alcohol, which flows in the streets of this city day and night? What is the
difference between driving drunk and driving high? They're both wrong, and
they're both illegal. Yet we don't see anybody proposing to outlaw alcohol
in Las Vegas or anywhere else for that matter.

You don't have to be a pothead to appreciate a pro-Question 9 argument. And
you don't have to be a cop to be against it. It's one of the more
interesting decisions that voters are being asked to make this year--or any
year.

Mercury vote: Yeah, man, now pass the Funyuns.

[snip]