LEGALIZE POT? NOT SO FAST

The speed at which pro-marijuana forces are trying to liberalize
Nevada's laws is enough to make us dizzy.

From one of the strictest anti-marijuana states to legalization in
two years? We don't think Nevadans will stand for it, and they
shouldn't because it's a bad idea.

A group called Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement has
successfully collected signatures to put the issue to a vote in
November. With 74,740 names, they met the test in 14 of the state's 17
counties -- including Carson City, but not Douglas County.

We don't begrudge them the public vote, because that's their right.
But we can't see any good coming from legalization of possession of up
to 3 ounces of pot by anyone over the age of 21.

We opposed medical marijuana in Nevada because we feared it was simply
the first step toward legalization.

It's hard to tell cancer sufferers and others who get relief from
severe, debilitating diseases by smoking marijuana that they are
breaking the law. But while the anecdotal evidence seemed plentiful,
the scientific proof was slim. And we were more worried about eroding
Nevada's tough anti-pot stance.

The next time we checked, the 2001 Legislature was reducing pot
possession from a felony to a misdemeanor. Again, we protested.

The argument seemed to be that judges weren't slapping felonies on
first-time offenders anyway. So why bother having a felony law?
Because judges and prosecutors need tools to fight crime and protect
society.

Some marijuana users, we'll concede, may be doing harm only to
themselves. Others, though, can be a definite threat to the well-being
of the people around them. We like to give judges the ability to
distinguish between the two.

The Legislature went ahead and lowered the charge, and now along comes
the legalization vote. We think that pretty much proves our initial
concerns were well-founded.

In addition to our basic belief that marijuana should remain a
controlled substance, the proposal would allow for possession of up to
3 ounces -- a substantial amount. Add to that the fact marijuana
possession remains a federal offense, and there are plenty of reasons
for voters to turn down legalization of marijuana