Nov. 6, 2002

Marijuana Advocates' Hopes Up in Smoke in Nevada

By Steve Friess

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A trailblazing effort to make Nevada the first state to legalize possession of up to 3 ounces of marijuana went up in smoke on Tuesday as more than 60 percent of state voters rejected the controversial ballot initiative.

Despite the famously libertarian leanings of Nevada -- a state where gambling is a chief industry and prostitution is legal -- state voters were going against legal pot possession by almost 2 to 1 with about half the precincts reporting.

"There is a silent majority of good people in Nevada who care about families," said Sandy Heverly, executive director of the anti-drunken driving group Stop DUI, which campaigned against the initiative.

The measure, Question 9, would have started the process of legalizing possession of marijuana and may eventually have required the state legislature to set up a system for the sale, manufacture and taxation of marijuana -- a key hope of marijuana advocates, including many people who believe it is a valuable drug for treating illnesses ranging from cancer to glaucoma.

The drug was banned by the U.S. Congress in 1937 and would have remained illegal under federal law, but supporters had hoped an electoral show of support for decriminalization might help persuade more lawmakers to rethink the prohibition.

President Bush's drug policy director, John Walters, visited the state twice this fall to fight the measure, telling voters marijuana is an "addictive gateway drug" that leads to the use of cocaine and heroin.

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