AN 'OUT-OF-STATE' CAMPAIGN

Federal Drug Czar Meddles In An Issue Nevadans Must Decide

On Thursday, federal drug czar John Walters again came to Las Vegas to urge
voters to reject November's ballot Question 9, a measure which would allow
adult Nevadans to possess as much as 3 ounces of marijuana.

"We as adults have a responsibility to do better for our children," Mr.
Walters told a crowd of local police, politicians and other opponents of
the measure at a downtown drug treatment center. "(Marijuana) causes many
other harms."

This marked the second recent visit by Mr. Walters to Las Vegas to rally
those opposing the ballot question. During his first trip in July, Mr.
Walters met with Review-Journal editors and denounced "out-of-state"
backers of the measure for "spending millions of dollars on inaccurate
campaigns." As opposed to Mr. Walters jetting to Nevada from the Beltway to
slam the measure?

But Mr. Walters also pledged that his office "would not spend money or
dedicate any resources" to oppose the ballot question. And he vowed that if
the question passed, the federal government would not "strong arm" the state.

"That's not our intent," he said in July. "People have the right to make
their own decisions. I don't believe you'd see federal officials coming
into (Nevada) to enforce possession laws."

Promises, promises.

Mr. Walters and his tax-funded deputies have in fact committed a
considerable amount of energy and money to defeating Question 9. And
notwithstanding any public denials, such strong-arming will hardly subside
if the measure passes. "We will stand with you," Mr. Walters said at the
Thursday rally. "My office intends to challenge this ballot initiative here
and in every state where this occurs."

Such duplicity should surprise no one.

That said, the substance of Mr. Walters' message must not go unchallenged.
The drug czar portrays the ballot measure as an issue of public safety. Yet
if it passes, adult pot use would be restricted to private homes. Penalties
for operating motor vehicles while impaired and for possession by minors
would remain in place.

Another canard deals with the issue of addiction. Mr. Walters says
decriminalizing marijuana possession would lead to an avalanche of addicts
demanding treatment. But when pressed in July, Mr. Walters conceded, "Most
people who enter treatment are coerced to some extent by families,
employers and courts."

And that's the rub. Drug treatment for recreational marijuana users is
booming precisely because of ever-escalating sentencing policies. Forcing
pot smokers into treatment centers is often the only way to keep the jails
from being completely overrun with penny-ante drug users, leaving little
space for violent criminals who pose a genuine threat to others.

Nevadans are capable of acting like grown-ups and deciding whether we wish
to maintain the current, Draconian set of penalties against the possession
and use of small amounts of marijuana. We need no help from our "betters"
in Washington, D.C.