MARIJUANA INITIATIVE SUBMITTED

CARSON CITY -- A group seeking to place a question on the November ballot
that would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana turned in
more than 107,000 signatures gathered from all 17 counties Tuesday.

Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement need valid signatures from 61,336
registered voters, with minimum numbers required in 13 of 17 counties, for
the petition to be approved by Secretary of State Dean Heller.

The petitions will now go through a signature verification process to
determine if the group was successful.

The measure, which would also allow patients to obtain medical marijuana at
low cost, would have to be approved by voters twice, this year and in 2004,
for it to take effect.

"Most Nevadans believe that people should not be arrested for possessing
small amounts of marijuana," said campaign spokesman Billy Rogers. "We're
confident that we've collected enough signatures to qualify this initiative
for the November ballot."

The initiative would allow adults to possess three ounces or less of
marijuana. It bans smoking marijuana in public places, including parks, and
maintains penalties for underage possession or sale to minors.