NEVADA VOTERS TO DECIDE ON LEGALIZING MARIJUANA

LAS VEGAS - The state that legalized prostitution and gambling is now
considering whether to condone the private use of marijuana.

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

While law enforcement officials are railing against the measure, state
officials are pondering how the state-licensed sale and taxation of
marijuana might stoke the state's coffers with 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 because most politicians - including Governor Kenny
Guinn, a Republican - are not taking a stand on the issue, saying they will
defer to the voters' wishes.

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 of marijuana.

Ohio has the nation's most lenient marijuana possession laws, issuing a
civil citation and a fine of $100 for possession of up to 100 grams (about
3.5 ounces) of marijuana, according to the National Organization for the
Reform of Marijuana Laws. The organization advocates decriminalizing
marijuana use.

Only Alaska previously has attempted to legalize possession of marijuana
altogether. The 2000 ballot measure didn't ban smoking in public and sought
reparations for jailed marijuana users. It was rejected by 59 percent of
the voters.

Any state measure is likely to run afoul of federal law, which forbids
cultivation, possession, and distribution of marijuana. The federal Drug
Enforcement Administration has sought to shut down medical marijuana clubs
in California.

State polls suggest Nevada voters are about evenly split on the question.
The state's largest newspaper, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has
editorialized on the issue and said the measure "would end the needless
harassment of individuals who peacefully and privately use marijuana."

The $375,000-petition drive, which collected more than 100,000 signatures
to qualify the measure for the ballot, was spearheaded by the
Washington-based Marijuana Policy Project.