Month of 01/Aug/2006 to 31/Aug/2006

CRCM volunteers made an amazing 7,500 voter outreach phone calls in the month of August! All your hard work has put us over the top in our phone bank drive -- and made a huge contribution toward ending marijuana prohibition in Nevada. We're counting on our volunteers to play a big role in the success of our campaign, and you've come through for us once again this month. With your help, we will pass Question 7 on November 7.

Our volunteers are turning that cactus green! So far we've completed 7,250 calls in our August volunteer phone bank drive, which means we have only 250 calls left to go. If you can donate a little of your time, please hop on the phone today and help us reach our goal of 7,500 calls for the month. Phone banking is a great way to help make sure we pass Question 7 on November 7, and you've got until 9:00 p.m. PST to make your contribution to the cause.

There are only two hours remaining in our August volunteer phone bank drive! We've got 306 calls to go -- can you make a few calls to help us reach our goal of 7,500 calls for the month? It's an easy way to make a big contribution to passing Question 7. We're so close to filling in that cactus ...

There are only three hours left to go on our August volunteer phone banking drive. We're very close to reaching our goal of 7,500 calls made this month, but we need a few more people to hop on the phones and get started on the last 328 phone calls! Could you give a little of your time this evening to help end marijuana prohibition in Nevada? It's an easy way to do your part to help pass Question 7 on November 7.

CRCM has reached our goal of raising $7,500 for the month of August! Three cheers to our incredibly generous supporters for making this happen. With your help, we're going to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada this November by passing Question 7.

And if you haven't yet contributed, don't you worry -- we're still accepting donations! There are 69 days left in our campaign to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada, and we have a lot of work to do between now and November 7. We can't pass Question 7 without your contribution, so please give whatever you can today.

We're getting closer and closer to the end of our August drives ...

We need only $477 in contributions to reach our goal of raising $7,500 for the month. Please donate now to help us make it to the top of the Stratosphere and help end marijuana prohibition in Nevada.

There are five hours left in our drive to complete 7,500 volunteer phone calls before 9:00 p.m. PST today, and there are only 375 calls left to make. If you haven't yet phone banked from home, there's still time to do your part -- so pick up the phone now!

Hooray! Thanks to our fantastic supporters for giving generously to our August donation drive. Now we need only $500 to reach the top of the Stratosphere and achieve our goal for the month. If you haven't yet donated to ending marijuana prohibition in Nevada, please give whatever you can today. Any and every contribution goes a long way toward helping us pass Question 7 on November 7.

Fewer than 12 hours remain in our fundraising drive for the month of August. Can you spare a few dollars to help end marijuana prohibition in Nevada? Please donate today and help us raise $7,500 this month. We need only $582 more to reach the top of the Stratosphere before midnight tonight.

Meanwhile, we've got eight hours until phone banking ends at at 9:00 p.m. PST, and we need only 391 more calls to make our goal of 7,500 volunteer phone calls made in August. Please hop on the phone and do your part toward passing Question 7 on November 7. We can't achieve victory without your help!

Today is the last day of CRCM's August donation drive and August phone bank drive -- could you lend a hand to help us reach our goals for this month?

The Stratosphere continues to grow in our quest to raise $7,500 for the month of August. We need $880 more to make it to the top by the end of the day, so please donate now! Your contributions are critical in the fight to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada this November, and we can't do it without your help. Please give whatever you can -- whether a dollar or ten or twenty, we'll put your donation to good use and pass Question 7 on November 7.

The August phone bank drive is going strong until 9:00 p.m. PST tonight. We have 451 calls to go before we hit 7,500 for the month, and you can make sure we reach our goal by phone banking from home today! Phone banking is an easy and valuable way to help the campaign -- every voter you identify as a supporter, opponent, or undecided puts us one step closer to victory in November. If you've got a little time, you can make a big contribution to the campaign just by making a few phone calls. So pick up the phone and help us make it to 7,500 calls today!

CRCM's August drives are ending tomorrow night, and we need your help to reach our goals!

We need to raise $7,500 for the month of August, and we're almost there -- with only $1,113 more we'll reach the top of the Stratosphere. Can you donate to help the campaign make it to our goal? Whether you give a dollar, five, ten, or twenty, you'll be making a huge contribution toward ending marijuana prohibition in Nevada. Your contributions are absolutely vital to the success of our campaign, so please chip in today. With every dollar donated, we're that much closer to passing Question 7 on November 7.

Got a little time and the desire for a sensible marijuana policy? Phone bank from home to help pass Question 7! We need our volunteers to make 7,500 phone calls in August, and we've got 985 phone calls still to make before tomorrow night at 9:00 p.m. PST. That's where you come in! You can play a critical role in the campaign by calling voters throughout Nevada and identifying them as supporters, opponents, or undecided. Every voter ID is a valuable piece of information for our campaign, so please pick up the phone today. With your help, we will pass Question 7 and end marijuana prohibition in Nevada this November.

In a recent column, journalist Neil Peirce examines the failures of the drug war and one group's efforts to turn the tide against prohibition. The King County Bar Association (located in Washington state) is proposing a new approach to dealing with drug offenses, pointing out that the nation's current policies have not reduced drug use -- but have resulted in violent crime, overfilled prisons, and squandered public resources. Pierce specifically highlights an alternative to our current failed marijuana policies.

Key quote:

For marijuana, control by cartels that now provide huge quantities might be broken by state licensing .... Or a state distribution system like state liquor stores, demonstrably effective in denying sales to youth, could be established.

Removing marijuana from the criminal market and placing it into a tightly regulated system means we can take money and control away from violent gangs and drug dealers. We can also create a "We Card" program prohibiting sales to minors.

Please help us pass Question 7. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

Thanks to Tom Angell at Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

CRCM's August phone banking drive is heading into the home stretch, and we're depending on you to help us reach our goal before the month is over. We need our volunteers to reach 7,500 phone calls in August before 9:00 p.m. PST on Thursday, and we have only 1,500 calls to go! But there are only two days of August remaining, so please pick up the phone today. Phone banking is an easy and incredibly valuable way to help the campaign -- every voter you identify as a supporter, opponent, or undecided puts us one step closer to ending marijuana prohibition in Nevada. Please do your part today to pass Question 7 on November 7. Nevada's broken marijuana laws can't be fixed without your help!

National "drug czar" John P. Walters is gracing Nevada with his presence: He's holding a press conference in Reno this morning to address the "threat" posed by Question 7. Not surprisingly, we have a few things to say about his visit to our state.

First of all, the "drug czar" has no place interfering in Nevada's election process. Nevadans get to decide what's right for our state -- overpaid federal bureaucrats do not. Additionally, Walters is using taxpayer dollars to pay for this little jaunt to Reno. Somehow we don't think the good citizens of America would be pleased to know that their tax money is being used in efforts to thwart the will of Nevada voters.

Maybe the "drug czar" should instead be paying attention to his management problems back in D.C. ... like the fact that the Government Accountability Office has declared his teen anti-drug campaign a failure, or that U.S. Senators are calling for his firing. For that matter, maybe the "drug czar" should do his job -- addressing national-level drug threats to the U.S. -- rather than spending time imposing his obsession with marijuana prohibition on the Nevada electorate.

The "drug czar" also refuses to admit that he's campaigning, claiming that he has no obligation to file campaign finance reports. Yet he's clearly attempting to influence voters on a local election issue. If that's not campaigning, what is? Walters needs to come clean about the taxpayer dollars he's spending on Nevada elections by filing campaign finance reports -- just like every other political campaign in Nevada does, including CRCM.

CRCM has issued a news release calling on "drug czar" Walters to stop interfering in Nevada elections. And if he does insist on campaigning in our state, he should at least be upfront about the taxpayer dollars he's using to do it.

Key quote:

"Not only is John Walters wasting federal tax dollars campaigning against a local initiative, he’s claimed in the past that local laws do not apply to him and that he’s exempt from submitting campaign finance reports to the state,� said [CRCM Campaign Manager Neal] Levine. "What is he afraid of? If the ‘drug czar’ is going to interfere in a local election, the least he can do is abide by local laws and report the tax dollars he's wasting on the campaign trail. The 'czar' is not above the law. This is America -- not pre-communist Russia."

Question 7 deserves an open, honest debate about the merits of taxing and regulating marijuana -- not federal bureaucrats imposing their will on Nevada voters.

Tune in Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. to K-News 970 AM radio to hear Campaign Manager Neal Levine's interview on "The News with Tim O'Callaghan." You can also listen online at www.knews970.com.

The crucial details:

When: Tuesday, August 29, 5:00 p.m.

Where: 970 AM in Las Vegas or online at www.knews970.com.

Check it out -- it's guaranteed to be a lively discussion of Question 7.

According to a recent article, the valley of Whiskey Gap, Alberta, near the U.S. border, has been popular with smugglers for going on one hundred years. During Alberta's alcohol Prohibition (1916-1924), smugglers moved alcohol from the U.S. into Canada through Whiskey Gap. And during America's Prohibition, alcohol flowed the opposite direction, into the U.S. Since then, Whiskey Gap has been a favorite with smugglers seeking to profit from the criminal market.

Key quote:

But its remote location just a stone's throw from the United States border makes it ideal for continued use by modern smugglers who deal instead in marijuana ...

Ah, the historic legacy of prohibition -- the thriving criminal market providing profits to violent criminals ... the increased danger for law enforcement ... the dangers of readily-available unregulated substances ... the huge numbers of nonviolent offenders going to jail. Prohibition works about as well with marijuana as it did with alcohol. It's time for a solution to this failed policy.

Please help us pass the initiative to tax and regulate marijuana by voting yes on Question 7. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

This week's issue of Las Vegas CityLife reports on a new program from the Marijuana Policy Project (MPP) to assist patients seeking access to Nevada's medical marijuana program. Passed in 1998 and 2000, Nevada's medical marijuana law allows patients to possess up to one ounce of marijuana if they qualify for the program. Unfortunately, applying for the program costs $200, and many patients on limited incomes can't afford this expense. MPP is offering financial assistance to those with a demonstrated need.

In addition to paying an exorbitant fee to apply for the program, medical marijuana patients face a tough situation in obtaining their medicine once they make it into the program. They are permitted to grow a limited number of plants, but these are patients with serious and often debilitating conditions -- they often aren't up to horticultural pursuits in their free time. As a result, patients living with cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and other conditions are forced to obtain their medicine from drug dealers and violent criminals. Taxing and regulating marijuana will take the criminal element out of the equation, providing medical marijuana patients with a safe and legal way to access their medication.

Please help us pass Question 7. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

The cover story in this week's edition of the Reno News & Review exposes the lies of prohibitionists, and specifically the lies told about marijuana. The article highlights several common myths surrounding marijuana, then demonstrates how they have no basis in reality -- despite the words of people like Washoe County District Attorney Richard Gammick and national drug czar John Walters.

Key Quote:

Drug warriors -- whether journalists, politicians, police or public employees -- need lies because the drug war can't be sustained without them. Lies are the foundation of the drug war, and the five listed here are the tip of the iceberg. There are many, many more, and they are relevant to a marijuana measure that will appear on this year's Nevada ballot.

Hi there, Daily Regulator readers. I hope that you are enjoying your daily dose of news from our historic battle to end marijuana prohibition in the state of Nevada. I have the unique honor of introducing you to a semi-regular feature that we are instituting here at the Daily Regulator -- Dispatches from the Field, in which we share an insider's view of the campaign.

First of all, to introduce myself: My name is Matt Witemyre, and I am the Field Director here at CRCM. And just what does the field director do, you might ask. Well, I am responsible for the day-to-day operations of our field program as we reach out to as many Nevadans as possible, discussing the failure of our current marijuana laws and what we can do to fix them.

My field staff serves as the face of CRCM. We are the ones knocking on your door, or calling you on the phone, or stopping to talk with you at events and festivals or anywhere else you’ve been approached by a friendly person wearing one of our T-shirts. We're out every day, spreading the word about Question 7 and seeking your input, comments, and questions. We are proud to serve as the feet on the street for our historic campaign.

I would like to take this chance to thank all of you who have taken the time out of your busy schedule to talk to us. And thanks in advance to those we'll be speaking with in the next three months. CRCM has one of the best field staff I’ve ever seen, and I hope that all of you have the pleasure of meeting them in the very short time we have until Election Day.

So be on the lookout for a friendly knock, phone call, or howdy from the CRCM field team. We are here to answer your questions, to update your voter registration, and to offer you an absentee ballot request form so that you can vote "Yes" on Question 7 from the comfort of your own home. I guarantee you will enjoy our team as much as I do.

Thanks for supporting CRCM. You'll be seeing us around.

Incumbent Governor Frank Murkowski of Alaska lost his bid for re-election yesterday when he was defeated in the Republican primary election. (In fact, he didn't just lose -- he came in third, which is pretty much like losing twice.) Governor Murkowski made several appearances here on the Daily Regulator when he rammed an unconstitutional bill through the legislature that illegally re-criminalized personal marijuana possession by Alaskan citizens. His bill was quickly overturned in court -- being unconstitutional and all -- and Alaskans' guaranteed right to privacy was restored, allowing them to possess up to one ounce of marijuana in their homes. Yesterday, Murkowski seems to have learned the hard way that being an avowed marijuana prohibitionist isn't the key to winning the hearts and minds of voters -- even in a Republican primary, in a very red state. All in all, we can't say we'll miss Governor Murkowski's shenanigans, and we do hope the new governor will be more supportive of a sensible marijuana policy for Alaska.

The Reno Gazette-Journal published a letter-to-the-editor in support of removing marijuana from the criminal market. Dillon Brannan of Battle Mountain argues that by taxing and regulating marijuana, Nevada would earn tax revenue as well as keep violent gangs and drug dealers from selling marijuana. Pretty sound reasoning, if you ask us.

The failure of marijuana prohibition continues right under our noses: Law enforcement officials discovered Mexican nationals growing more than 5,000 marijuana plants on public lands in Bryce Canyon, Utah -- only 170 miles from Nevada.

Key quote:

The Drug Enforcement Agency, based on evidence at the scene, about 10 miles northeast of Bryce Canyon National Park, believes the two men were working for an international drug trafficking organization.

Such organizations are typically linked directly to the Mexican Mafia, which has found it easier to grow marijuana inside the United States rather than transport the drugs across the border.

The criminal market is constantly adapting and thriving as it supplies profits to drug cartels. It's time to take money out of the hands of these violent gangs and drug dealers by taxing and regulating marijuana.

Please help us pass Question 7. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

Pierre Werner, a participant in Nevada's medical marijuana program, pleaded guilty this week in his trial for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. Werner was charged for having more marijuana than is allowed under the state's medical marijuana law and for then distributing that marijuana to other patients in the program.

When Nevadans voted on adopting a medical marijuana law in 1998 and 2000, the federal government threatened to arrest medical marijuana patients and shut down the state's program. Out of 1500 patients in Nevada's medical marijuana program, only one person has been charged with abusing it.

Key quote:

[Clark County prosecutor Roy] Nelson said Werner was prosecuted because he broke the law and not because he was a participant in the medical marijuana program.

Nelson said that he believes medical marijuana has a place in Nevada but that the law showed Werner possessed far more marijuana than was legally allowable.

This case does highlight an important issue: the desperate need of medical marijuana patients to have a reliable way of obtaining their medicine. Currently, patients in Nevada's medical marijuana program may possess a small amount of marijuana, but they are forced to go to the criminal market to purchase it -- funding the activities of violent gangs and drug dealers. People suffering from conditions like AIDS, MS, and cancer shouldn't be forced to obtain their medicine from criminals.

Please help us pass the initiative to tax and regulate marijuana. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

The marijuana initiative now has a ballot number! We are officially Question 7, so all the Nevadans who believe that our current marijuana laws are a failure and that marijuana should be taxed and regulated will be voting "yes" on Question 7 this November 7th. C'mon, lucky seven!

The Colorado Secretary of State has certified a ballot initiative to make the possession of less than one ounce of marijuana legal under state law for individuals 21 years of age or older. It will appear on the November 7, 2006, general election ballot.

The Secretary of State issued a news release announcing the ballot placement today.

Key quote from release:

Today Secretary of State Gigi Dennis announced the proposed ballot measure concerning "Marijuana Possession" was found to be sufficient as required by statute.

This is an opportunity for people across Colorado to take a stand against marijuana prohibition, like the citizens of Denver did when they passed a similar initiative in 2005. In Nevada, we're working to pass an initiative in November that will tax and regulate marijuana. You can help us by registering to vote, volunteering, or donating.

National news magazine Mother Jones published an article on conservative political activists in support of passing our Nevada initiative to tax and regulate marijuana.

A recent article in the Las Vegas Review-Journal discussed the experiences of Nevada's National Guard troops stationed along the U.S.-Mexico border at Nogales, Arizona. The troops are repairing roads, providing vehicle maintenance, and keeping an eye out for immigrants crossing the border illegally. Along the way, they've also seen smugglers crossing the border to deliver marijuana from Mexico into the U.S.

Key quote:

Some have heard the distant "pop, pop pop" of running gunbattles as the Border Patrol chases after those who come across to deliver drugs, such as marijuana, 1,000 pounds at a time. ...

"The problem with that is not everyone who is coming across is coming to stay. We've got dope smugglers that come across, and there's 10 to 20 ... in a group bringing marijuana. Well, they have no intentions to stay. They're dropping off their thousand pounds of marijuana and then walking back south."

What a classic illustration of the failure of prohibition: The thriving criminal market for marijuana is luring Mexican drug cartels across the border, who are threatening the lives of our Border Patrol officers and National Guard troops. Then, according to the U.S. Department of Justice's "Drug Threat Assessment 2006," the smuggled marijuana will be distributed throughout the U.S. by violent gangs and drug dealers. It's time to remove marijuana from the criminal market and take money out of the hands of Mexican drug cartels, violent gangs, and drug dealers. Please help us pass the marijuana initiative. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

Today is August 10 ... only three months until Election Day! We're closing in on the final days of the campaign, and this is when we need our supporters the most. What can you do in the next 90 days to help make sure the marijuana initiative passes on November 7?

• Join our phone bank drive. We need to make 7,500 phone calls in the month of August to reach our goal. Every time you identify a Nevada resident as a supporter, opponent, or undecided, you're providing valuable information for the campaign. We don't have much time left to reach out to every voter in the state!
• Donate to our August fundraising drive. Last month we raised an incredible $5,000 through our Web site, and now we're aiming for $7,500 in August. Every dollar you give helps ensure that we end marijuana prohibition in Nevada this November.
• Register to vote. We have several easy ways for you to register to vote in Nevada. Click here to register through our simple online form. Or text "crcm" to 75444 on your mobile phone and get a voter registration form emailed or mailed to you. You can also stop by the CRCM offices and fill out a form in person.
• Volunteer. In addition to our phone bank drive, there are lots of other ways to get involved -- just check out the Volunteer Action Center for details. And every Wednesday night at 5:00 p.m., join us for the Volunteer Pizza Party in the CRCM offices. You stuff mail; we provide snacks, drinks, and pizza, as well as a chance to meet your fellow supporters.
• Commit to talking to your friends and family about the marijuana initiative. Can you convince five of your friends or family members to vote for the marijuana initiative? Then make sure they get to the polls or vote by mail? It's a small challenge, but if all of our supporters get five other folks to vote for the initiative, it could make the difference on Election Day.

A recent news item revealed that law enforcement officers uncovered a huge field of marijuana plants outside Paso Robles, California. Detectives estimate that the marijuana -- part of a "major Mexican national drug operation" -- was worth more than $1 million on the criminal market. And what will a Mexican drug operation do with that million dollars?

Key quote:

That profit is then pumped right back into the drug world -- and the cycle continues.

"Cartels are now using marijuana as a cash crop to finance and get the supplies for these large methamphetamine labs."

Mexican drug cartels are using the profits from illegal marijuana to finance their production of methamphetamine -- a drug that devastates lives and kills hundreds of people every year. Marijuana, in contrast, is safer than alcohol, and yet we allow the sales to remain in the criminal market -- profiting violent drug cartels!

It's time to take a more sensible approach to dealing with marijuana. Please help us pass the initiative to tax and regulate marijuana. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

The blog Hammer of Truth has published a piece on CRCM and the marijuana initiative, praising our efforts to pass a sensible marijuana policy in Nevada.

Technology is a beautiful thing: You can now receive a voter registration form by sending a text message through your mobile phone. Just text "crcm" to 75444, and you'll receive simple instructions for getting a voter registration form mailed or emailed directly to you.

We here at CRCM get a little teary-eyed when we think about how many more qualified voters can now be registered so quickly and easily ...

You can now register to vote on our Web site! We've got a quick and easy way for you to register to vote to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada this November. Just type your information into our simple online form and click "Print Registration Form." Once you've printed the form, sign your name, slap a stamp on it, and drop it in the mail. And if you don't have a printer, you can go here to request a voter registration form. What could be easier?

Remember -- you can vote for taxing and regulating marijuana only if you are registered to vote by October 7. Voting is the #1 way to make sure we succeed in passing the marijuana initiative, so register today!

The Nevada Appeal this week carried a letter-to-the-editor from Steve Williams, a supporter of the initiative in Carson City.

Key quote:

Our marijuana laws in Nevada are not working. It is time for a real solution: strict regulation and control. Nevada's failed marijuana laws cost taxpayers millions of dollars a year.

Mr. Williams is right on track: A 2005 report by economist Jeffrey Miron revealed that the state of Nevada spent more than $42 million in one year to enforce marijuana prohibition ... a tidy sum to be spending on a complete policy failure! Just imagine how much money we can save by taxing and regulating marijuana -- not to mention the fact that we'll simultaneously be taking money out of the hands of violent gangs and drug dealers. It's a sensible alternative to the current failures of marijuana prohibition.

Please help us pass the marijuana initiative. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

One of our volunteers in Reno, Erika Frick, has produced a terrific commercial geared toward MySpace in support of the marijuana initiative, featuring the Reno band Greyscale.

It's a great example of one of our volunteers thinking "outside the box" to help the campaign -- producing an outstanding campaign tool to help us reach voters!

We've posted the video on our MySpace page, which makes this something a volunteer sent to us that we're using -- netting Erika 5,000 points!

We'd like to know who else is out there with cool ideas. Do you have cutting-edge talents that you can put to use for the campaign? We'll reward 5,000 volunteer points for any ideas we end up using, so send 'em our way.

Here's the commercial, produced by Erika Frick of Reno, Nevada:

(Other formats: Video-QT)

CRCM Campaign Manager Neal Levine was recently interviewed about the marijuana initiative by the Sparks Tribune newspaper.

Key quote:

"Nevada’s current marijuana laws are costly, they have failed to prevent teenagers from using marijuana, and they keep police from focusing on DUI and other real crimes," said Levine. "Bringing marijuana into a regulated system will serve all Nevadans well."

Well put! CRCM is working hard to get the message out to all Nevadans that the marijuana initiative is a sensible alternative to our current failed marijuana laws. Please help us end marijuana prohibition in Nevada this November. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

... this time on News Talk KOH Radio in Reno. CRCM Campaign Manager Neal Levine once again faces some, ahem, creative arguments from die-hard prohibitionists. Unfortunately for them, their arguments don't quite stand up to the logic of marijuana taxation and regulation. It's quite a lively debate -- be sure to check it out.