BOTH SIDES GET ROLLING IN EARNEST IN BATTLE OVER DECRIMINALIZING MARIJUANA

The pot politics continues.

The battle over Question 9, the marijuana decriminalization initiative on
November's ballot, officially has begun with the formidable Sandy Heverly of
STOP DUI taking part in a news conference today.

Meanwhile, the pro-9 Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement on Thursday
revealed its 30-member steering committee, led by Assemblywoman Chris
Giunchigliani. The committee includes physicians, nurses and medical
patients being treated for their symptoms with marijuana.

Members of law enforcement, public officials, DUI victims, emergency medical
personnel and others will stand with Heverly to deliver a message
criticizing the plan to decriminalize 3 ounces of marijuana for private use.
Collectively, the group is calling itself Nevadans Against Legalizing
Marijuana.

While advocates of the question will note that the group's name is
misleading (decriminalization and legalization aren't synonymous), of
greater importance is the fact that critics of the measure appear to be
organizing and motivated more than a month before Election Day. Buttons and
banners will be plentiful, Heverly says.

Polls show that voters are split on this issue.

Organized opposition is bad news for the advocates of decriminalization, who
say those opposing Question 9 are distorting the facts.

"I would hope that with the formation of a committee that all of them could
get together in a room and read the initiative," Question 9 advocate Billy
Rogers says. "This initiative does two things: It protects people in the
privacy of a home or under the care of a doctor. Medical marijuana patients
have to go to a drug dealer to get their medicine. Question 9 will fix that
problem."