NEVADA MAY LEGALIZE MARIJUANA

LAS VEGAS -- The state that legalized cathouses and craps is now considering
condoning cannabis.

A voters initiative on the November ballot would permit possession in Nevada
of up to 3 ounces of marijuana by people 21 and older. They would be allowed
to smoke it in the privacy of their own homes, but not in their car or
public places.

While law enforcement officials are railing against the measure, state
officials are quietly pondering how the state-licensed sale and taxation of
marijuana may stoke the state's coffers by tens of millions of dollars
annually.

Legalizing marijuana by amending the state constitution is a two-step
process. If a simple majority of voters approve the measure in November, it
would need to be reaffirmed by voters in 2004. The second vote could be
avoided if the measure is adopted next year by the state legislature, which
already has decriminalized possession of marijuana. That course is
considered unlikely.

Nevada is one of nine states that allow the use of marijuana with a doctor's
prescription, and one of 11 states that have lowered criminal sanctions for
possession. State polls suggest Nevada voters are about evenly split on the
question.