DRUG CZAR HITS HARD AT LEGAL-POT VOTE

RENO, Nev. (AP) - The nation's drug czar said that Nevada's ballot issue to
legalize possession of marijuana is ludicrous and that the measure's
supporters are relying on distortions and voter naivete.

"This is a con, and it's insulting to the voters of the state in which it
is presented," John P. Walters said Friday during a gathering of reporters
and law enforcement officials.

Nevada's measure would allow adults to possess up to 3 ounces of marijuana.
The drug would be sold - and taxed - in state-licensed smoke shops.

Walters, chief of the office of National Drug Control Policy, called
backers of Nevada's Question 9 "misguided people who have a lot of money
and decided to make this state a guinea pig."

Question 9 would have to pass twice - in November and again in 2004 - to
change the Nevada Constitution.

Whether it ever could take effect is unclear. Federal law bans marijuana
possession, and the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last year that states can't
make exceptions for medical use.