GOING TO POT?

Nevada is ever the groundbreaker. It was the first state to legalize,
regulate and tax casino gambling. Later, it did the same for prostitution.
And this year, the November election ballot will include a proposal that
Nevadans legalize, regulate and tax the sale of marijuana. That's
"legalize," not "decriminalize." Decriminalization of marijuana typically
reduces possession to the level of a minor ticketable offense. At present,
possession of more than one ounce in Nevada is a felony punishable by up to
four years in prison; possession of less than an ounce is a misdemeanor
with a $650 fine.

Under legalization, penalties for possessing up to three ounces would be
eliminated. The state would regulate how it is grown, distributed and sold
and collect taxes on the salesl.

In discussing the proposition, people use words like "landmark,"
"revolutionary," "unheard-of." It's all that. Nine states, including
Nevada, have approved the medical use of marijuana. Some have
decriminalized the possession of small amounts. But legalization? No.

In our view, legalizing an illegal drug and taxing it as a source of state
revenue is not a good idea. This is especially true in the case of
marijuana, which is illegal under federal law and will remain so even if
Nevadans vote to legalize it in their state. Whether the FBI and federal
prosecutors would seek to prosecute people caught in possession of
marijuana in Nevada is anybody's guess, but it seems unwise for a state to
enact laws that not only are out of sync with federal law, but indirect
violation of it.

If Nevada's voters approve this measure, the only positive aspect that we
can see to it is that legalization there would make it possible to measure
the effects of largely unfettered marijuana use on public health and the
society at large. It's our feeling that those effects will not be good, so
we will be undismayed if Nevadans decide to pass on the opportunity.