Month of 01/Sep/2006 to 30/Sep/2006

A big round of applause for CRCM's fantastic supporters -- you raised $15,000 this month to help pass Question 7 on November 7!

Your September contributions will be used toward our newest mass media campaign, ensuring that the message of passing a sensible marijuana policy in Nevada will reach voters all over the state. Thank you to everyone who donated this month -- and in previous months -- to CRCM. Our donors are playing a huge role in the success of Question 7, and with your support, we're going to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada this November. It all comes down to the next 38 days ... so stay tuned for the last big push in our exciting and cutting-edge campaign to tax and regulate marijuana.

Today is the last day of September, and we have until midnight tonight to raise $15,000 for the month. We need only $162 more to reach the top of the Stratosphere, so please donate whatever you can to the cause of ending marijuana prohibition in Nevada.

If you've been following the Question 7 news this week, you know that two recent polls have revealed that the marijuana initiative is within single digits of passing -- or failing -- on November 7. We're in a 50-50 race, and CRCM has big plans to reach every voter in Nevada with the message of a sensible marijuana policy for our state. The only thing is, we need your support to make it happen. We'll put every contribution we receive in September toward rolling out an exciting mass media campaign between now and Election Day.

Please make a donation today to help pass Question 7 on November 7.

Can you help us reach our donation drive goal for the month of September? If we don't raise $15,000 by tomorrow night at midnight, CRCM will turn into a pumpkin.

Ok, not really, but we can't continue our historic campaign to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada without your support. Please consider giving whatever you can -- whether $50, $20 or $5, every dollar puts us closer to passing Question 7 on November 7.

An AP story recently reported on a new phenomenon in the always-evolving criminal market: Marijuana cartels are purchasing homes and moving in to set up sophisticated indoor growing operations. They often look for quiet, residential neighborhoods where they can operate without notice from the neighbors -- and then rake in the cash from selling marijuana illegally.

Key quote:

"They're going into these cookie-cutter communities and making cookie-cutter marijuana factories," [Drug Enforcement Administration agent] Taylor said. All of a sudden, the neighbors "have an organized crime marijuana factory right next to them. It's alarming."

Alarming -- and predictable. As long as marijuana remains in the criminal market, violent gangs and drug dealers will make millions of dollars selling it. And they'll do so without any safeguards or regulations on the market. By taxing and regulating marijuana, we can take money out of the hands of these marijuana cartels while generating tax revenue for the state and placing strict regulations on the sales of marijuana.

It's time for a sensible marijuana policy in Nevada. Please help us pass Question 7. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

There are only two days remaining in CRCM's drive to raise $15,000 in the month of September! Please donate today to help us reach our goal and pass Question 7 this November.

As we reported earlier this week, two recent polls revealed that Question 7 is polling within single digits of passing -- or failing. The initiative to tax and regulate marijuana is in a dead heat, and we will win only if we mobilize every single one of our supporters ... and we can't do that without reaching out to voters all over the state and getting them to the polls on November 7. Every contribution we receive this month will be used to fund a mass media campaign that will deliver our message to everyone in Nevada. Please make a donation today to ensure we can continue our historic campaign to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada. We can't pass Question 7 on November 7 without your support!

CRCM is very close to reaching our goal of raising $15,000 in September, but there are only two days left before the end of the month! Can you donate to the cause of ending marijuana prohibition in Nevada? Whether you can give $50 or $5, every donation helps put us closer to passing Question 7 on November 7.

And the added bonus: The contributions we receive in September will be used for some exciting mass media innovations that will make sure we get our message out to voters all over the state. Please give whatever you can today, and you'll soon get to see just how much your donations can do for the campaign to tax and regulate marijuana in Nevada.

We can't pass Question 7 on November 7 without your help, so please donate today!

Reno's alternative weekly, the Reno News & Review, has endorsed Question 7. As the editorial eloquently states, taxing and regulating marijuana makes a lot more sense than the failed policy of prohibition.

Key quote:

The fact is, the prohibition against marijuana has to end in this country, and that's why we endorse Question 7 (Regulation of Marijuana Initiative), which will make possession of up to one ounce of Mary Jane legal in Nevada for people over 21 years old. (OK, there's more to it than that, check out www.regulatemarijuana.org.) With all the important things we have to worry about, it doesn't make sense to spend one more cent of resources persecuting a mostly innocuous and private activity. Don't prohibit it, regulate it. American citizens have been irreparably harmed by the so-called War on Drugs. There are dozens of reasons for ending prohibition and not that many for keeping it.

Hear, hear. CRCM is thrilled that the people of Nevada support a reasonable marijuana policy for our state. The Reno News & Review is the second newspaper to endorse Question 7, after the Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard, which endorsed our initiative in June.

Can you help make sure we pass Question 7 on November 7? Please join our historic campaign to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has come under fire again, this time from the Institute of Medicine. In a damning report, the Institute of Medicine excoriated the FDA on their policies and internal practices and recommended significant reforms for the agency.

Key quote:

Couched in formal language and careful footnotes, the report’s boring exterior belies an incendiary heart. With each page, it paints a devastating picture of a dysfunctional agency that is unable to ensure the safety of the nation’s drug supply.

Remarkable -- this is the same organization that many prohibitionists argue should be in charge of approving marijuana for medical use. Just a few months ago, the FDA was harshly criticized for its misguided and blatantly political statement against the use of marijuana for medical purposes. This recent report provides further evidence that the FDA desperately needs to reform its priorities.

CRCM Campaign Manager Neal Levine had a column published in the Reno Gazette-Journal about the drug czar's improper visit to Reno a few weeks ago. As CRCM pointed out at the time, Drug Czar John Walters is using federal taxpayer dollars to fund his political visits to Nevada. Additionally, the drug czar refuses to abide by Nevada state law and file campaign finance reports on his political campaigning against Question 7. Unfortunately, we don't have much faith that the drug czar will change his ways ...

Key quote:

[The drug czar's visit] is just the first round in the federal government's coordinated campaign to influence the voters of Nevada on a state issue.

Many Nevadans will remember that then-Attorney General Brian Sandoval referred to the federal government's intervention in the 2002 marijuana initiative as "excessive" and "disturbing." Sandoval stated in an official opinion that it was "unfortunate that a representative of the federal government substantially intervened in a matter that was clearly a State of Nevada issue."

Nevadans should expect more anti-marijuana commercials and a number of visits by federal officials to influence the outcome of our election.

We've said it before and we'll say it again -- the drug czar has no right to step into local Nevada election matters. The citizens of Nevada deserve a fair up-or-down vote on the issue of a sensible marijuana policy for our state.

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

Question 7 gets throughly explained in Japanese ... we think.

The clock is ticking on our September donation drive! CRCM is working to raise $15,000 for the month, and we need only $1,775 more to reach our goal.

The donations we receive in September are going to fund some exciting mass media innovations that will spread our message to Nevadans all over the state. We're pressing forward with our historic campaign to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada, but we need your help to keep making progress. Could you make a donation to help us pass Question 7 on November 7?

There are only 42 days left in our campaign, and every dollar puts us closer to victory. We can't pass Question 7 without your help, so please donate today.

A recent column in The Rebel Yell, the student newspaper of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, examined the consequences of marijuana prohibition versus the consequences of taxing and regulating marijuana.

Key quote:

The advocates [of Question 7] say, look, the laws have failed; everyone that wants to smoke pot does it anyway, so let's regulate and tax it, making it safer. The thrust of the argument is pragmatic, and pragmatic arguments ring well with people, especially Americans.

Question 7 is in fact a sensible solution to the failures of prohibition. Please help us pass the marijuana initiative. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal today published results of a new poll on Question 7 that shows the initiative within single digits of passing -- 42% in support, 51% opposed, and 7% undecided. A Goodwin Simon Victoria Research (GSVR) poll published last week in the Review-Journal showed the initiative passing 49% to 43%, with 8% undecided. Both polls clearly demonstrate that Question 7 is in a very tight race.

In fact, today's Review-Journal poll shows a significant improvement in support for Question 7 over the newspaper's last survey in April, which showed the initiative behind by 22 points. Since then, according to the Review-Journal's numbers, support for Question 7 has risen by 8% while opposition to the initiative has dropped by 5%.

Key quote:

"What we've been saying consistently is that we're proposing a very sensible approach to a very bad law," Levine said. "It will tightly regulate the market, safeguard it and tax it.

"This is a sensible change for Nevadans, and we think we have a shot," he said.

As reported last week, our most recent campaign poll shows Question 7 up by six points. The difference between the our survey and the one conducted by the Review-Journal? Our poll used the state's official ballot language for Question 7, which clearly and accurately conveys the provisions of the initiative. In contrast, the Review-Journal's pollsters used less specific language that describes the initiative in general terms. Makes us wonder ... why do you have to make up a question about the initiative, when you can just read the real question word-for-word? We're confident the Review-Journal poll would have revealed stronger support for the initiative had they simply asked Question 7 as it appears on the ballot.

Regardless, this race is close -- any way you slice it. So we need every supporter of taxing and regulating marijuana to get involved with our campaign today. Please join our voter registration drive by making sure your friends and family are registered. Volunteer a little of your time to call voters across Nevada. Or make a contribution to our September donation drive. We can't pass Question 7 on November 7 without your help -- so please take action today.

Robert Sharpe of Common Sense for Drug Policy wrote to the Las Vegas Review-Journal to express support for the paper's editorial against the drug czar's failed campaign to prevent marijuana use.

Key quote:

Taxing and regulating marijuana would render the drug war obsolete. As long as marijuana remains illegal and distributed by organized crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with hard drugs like cocaine and heroin.

Taxing and regulating marijuana is a sensible solution to the failures of prohibition. Please help us pass Question 7. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

Vin Suprynowicz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal questioned the differences between Nevada's gubernatorial candidates, Democrat Dina Titus and Republican Jim Gibbons -- or rather, he examines the lack of differences between the two. Mr. Suprynowicz points to the marijuana initiative as an example of both candidates' silence on a sensible policy change.

Key quote:

Well, OK, but which one of our only two remaining gubernatorial candidates has endorsed the re-legalization of all medicinal plants for adults, restoring the right all Americans had before 1916 to decide what to put into their own bodies, ending the "War on Drugs" and with it the biggest excuse for our burgeoning bust-down-the-door police state?

Hold on a second. Neither of them? Not even the modest current move to legalize a single ounce of pot for adults?

Question 7 is a "modest" proposition that's a solution to our current failed marijuana laws. Regardless of whether the gubernatorial candidates have anything to say about it, the voters of Nevada will support a sensible marijuana policy on November 7.

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

CRCM is launching a big push to register our supporters! There are lots and lots of folks out there who support taxing and regulating marijuana in Nevada, but there's one problem -- some of them don't vote. Our campaign is setting out to change that, and that's where you come in.

Do you know supporters of Question 7 who aren't registered to vote? CRCM is asking every one of our supporters to register three people to vote in Nevada. It's a simple task that will make a big, big difference on November 7. Our polling is consistently showing us at a 50-50 dead heat, so we're going to need every single supporter to vote if we're going to achieve victory on Election Day -- and they can't vote if they're not registered!

The first step to registering supporters is tracking down some voter registration forms. How do I do that, you ask?

1. E-mail your friends and family and have them register through our Web site. They can fill out the form online, print it, sign it, and send it in.

2. For the instant-messaging supporter, have them text message "crcm" to 75444 on their mobile phone. When they receive a response, all they have to do is follow the simple instructions to get their form and become a registered voter.

3. Visit our Web site to print out blank registration forms. Next time you run into someone who supports Question 7 and isn't registered, have them complete the form and send it in.

4. For those of you looking to get out of the house, you can also pick up voter registration forms at your county elections office, at your local library, or at your neighborhood post office.

5. Stop by the CRCM office anytime during office hours to pick up voter registration forms. We're here to provide forms and to answer any and all questions about getting folks registered to vote.

So, get out today and register your family, your friends, your neighbors, and anyone else you come across who supports Question 7 and isn't registered to vote. Here's the added bonus: If you register three people to vote, you'll get a swanky campaign T-shirt. That's right, just e-mail the names and addresses of all the people you register to Krystal, our handy Volunteer Coordinator. Once you send us the names of three people you have registered, we'll send you a CRCM T-shirt. It's our way of showing you some love for helping us reach victory on Election Day.

Plus, because we are so close to Election Day, and because this is so important, we are throwing in a super-cool prize for the person who registers the most supporters -- a brand-spanking new 30GB Apple iPod. Pretty nifty, huh? Get started registering supporters today, and you may be the owner of a new iPod. Either way, you'll be making a huge contribution to ending marijuana prohibition in Nevada.

Check out this clip from KLAS, Vegas' CBS station, as they cover CRCM's challenge to the Clark County Board of Commissioners.

We've got the Las Vegas TV news coverage of CRCM's confrontation with the Clark County Board of Commissioners. KVVU, the local Fox affiliate, covered the story over two days -- watch the clips here and here.

An article in yesterday's Las Vegas Review-Journal delved into an investigation of Nevada's record number of marijuana arrests in 2005. As CRCM reported in July, arrest data from the Nevada Department of Public Safety reveals that Nevada arrested 4,962 people last year for marijuana possession. Additionally, recent figures from the FBI reflect the same trends in national marijuana arrests.

Key Quote:

[Law enforcement] statements ran counter to the contention of the Committee to Regulate & Control Marijuana, which maintains police in Nevada waste $42 million a year pursuing minor marijuana offenders when they should be spending time and resources on more serious crimes.

"If they are arresting this number of people, then it is impossible to say they aren't wasting police resources," said Neal Levine, the committee's campaign manager.

Levine said it still would take a lot of time and resources even if police only issued citations to the 5,000 people charged with marijuana offenses last year.

The facts are clear: As CRCM has noted, Nevada arrested more people in 2005 for possessing marijuana than for violent crimes like murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault combined. After Question 7 passes, rather than arresting Nevadans who responsibly use marijuana in the privacy of their own homes, law enforcement will be able to focus their resources on combating violent criminals.

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

Our volunteers have come through for Question 7 once again. We asked you to make 10,000 volunteer phone calls this month to help us identify supporters, and we've already hit our goal -- with more than a week remaining in the month! Three cheers to our fantastic volunteers who put us over the top in September.

There are only 45 days between now and Election Day, and CRCM is ramping up for the last big push of the campaign to get voters registered and out to the polls. We're going to need each and every supporter to do their part to help end marijuana prohibition in Nevada, so stay tuned for the next volunteer challenge ...

And if you haven't yet contributed to our September donation drive, please donate today. We need $5,886 to reach our goal of $15,000 for the month, and there are only seven days left to contribute. Please give whatever you can, whether it's 100, 20, or five dollars -- every donation puts us closer to passing Question 7 on November 7.

Jacob Sullum at Reason.com's Hit and Run blog picked up the story of how our poll results -- which show that support for Question 7 is polling six points up -- are much more sound than the results from the Reno Gazette-Journal poll.

He also gets a kick out of the highly-entertaining name of the committee formed to oppose Question 7.

Then, because our opposition's name is just so absurd, The Volokh Conspiracy also noticed it.

The Las Vegas Sun published a front-page but snarky story on the marijuana initiative. Check it out here.

CRCM Campaign Manager Neal Levine has a column in this week's CityLife about the drug czar's recent visit to Nevada. Drug Czar John Walters ostensibly made the trip to Reno to meet with law enforcement officers, but he took the time to criticize Question 7 ... which just happens to be a state-level election issue. Unfortunately, this visit is probably only the beginning.

Key quote:

Nevadans should expect more anti-marijuana commercials and a number of visits by federal officials -- at taxpayer expense -- to influence the outcome of our election. Rest assured, the federal government will be fighting the marijuana initiative this year with an unlimited source of campaign funds: the wallets of every American taxpayer. This year, the drug czar has at least $100 million in taxpayer funds at his disposal to spend on television, radio and newspaper ads. In all, the government spends about $7.7 billion enforcing marijuana prohibition annually, yet the U.S. Department of Justice reports "marijuana availability is high and stable or increasing slightly." In essence, our marijuana laws do not work.

The drug czar may continue to try to stick his nose into Nevada's elections, but it's up to the voters of this state to decide whether or not we want a sensible marijuana policy.

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

The Associated Press released an article reporting on CRCM's complaint to Nevada Attorney General George Chanos regarding the inappropriate use of taxpayer resources by public officials. CRCM has accused certain government bodies and employees of breaking a Nevada law that prohibits public officials from expending funds, time, or resources in support of or in opposition to a ballot initiative.

Key quote:

The complaint filed by the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana says Clark County commissioners, while on public time, passed a resolution against Question 7, and Clark County Sheriff Bill Young and Las Vegas Metro Det. Todd Raybuck also publicly opposed the plan.

Neal Levine, campaign manager for the ballot question, also said that Metro Lt. Stan Olsen is the representative of the Committee to Keep Nevada Respectable, a group formed to oppose Question 7, and uses a Metro address as a return address for the committee.

It's up to the voters of Nevada to vote on Question 7 -- our government officials shouldn't illegally be using taxpayer dollars to campaign against it. Question 7 will bring an end to the failures of prohibition, and Nevada is ready for this sensible marijuana policy.

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

The Las Vegas Review-Journal today published the results of an internal campaign poll showing that support for Question 7 is six points higher than opposition to the initiative. The poll on Question 7 -- the initiative to tax and regulate marijuana in Nevada -- revealed that in a survey of 600 likely voters, 49% supported passing Question 7 while 43% opposed it.

Key quote:

A ballot initiative to allow Nevadans to possess small amounts of marijuana for recreational use has a better chance of passing than most people think, according to a newly released internal poll conducted on behalf of the proposal's backers.

These numbers directly contradict the results of a recent poll conducted by the Reno Gazette-Journal, which showed the initiative with 55% opposition to 37% support. The difference? CRCM's poll -- conducted by respected polling firm Goodwin Simon Victoria Research -- used the actual ballot language when asking respondents whether they would support Question 7. The RG-J poll, on the other hand, asked a question that didn't accurately reflect what the initiative would actually do.

Key quote:

"There's a lot in the ballot language (of the initiative) that really appeals to many people," pollster Paul Goodwin said. "When people are read the entire measure as a package, they like it a lot better than when they're just asked whether they want to legalize marijuana."

At the end of the article, the opposition's latest spokesman weighs in with some enlightening remarks ...

Key quote:

"I'm pretty confident that Nevadans are smart enough to see through what this group is doing with its Washington, D.C., money," said Patrick Smith, spokesman for the Committee to Keep Nevada Respectable. "They're trying to divert attention from what it's (the initiative) going to do, which is the legalization of the street use of marijuana."

In only two sentences, the opposition responds by insinuating that we're lying -- and then they lie. Impressive.

First off, this poll is 100% scientifically sound, conducted by a nationally-respected, independent polling firm. We didn't dream up a fake poll with "Washington, D.C." money -- the R-J would have never printed the story if we did. Second, the initiative specifically forbids the use of marijuana on the "street" or in any public place.

Maybe Mr. Smith didn't really lie -- maybe he just didn't bother to read the initiative before commenting on it. We'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

CRCM Campaign Manager Neal Levine spoke with John David Wells from Fox News 1280. Their discussion takes a -- shall we say -- interesting turn toward the end, so be sure to check it out here.

KTVN CBS Reno covered our challenge of the Clark County Commission's resolution to oppose Question 7. Watch the clips here and here.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal covered CRCM's confrontation with the Clark County Board of Commissioners yesterday.

Key quote:

Neal Levine, campaign manager for the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana, said a state law prohibits the County Commission from taking a formal position opposing his organization's Question 7.

CRCM isn't letting these prohibitionists -- who clearly haven't bothered to find out what our initiative would actually do -- get away with misinforming the people of Clark County. In fact, we're taking on every public official who uses taxpayer resources to oppose Question 7, which is clearly against the law of Nevada. We've filed a formal complaint with Attorney General Chanos requesting that he take action against the Clark County Commission, Clark County Sheriff Bill Young, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Detective Todd Raybuck, and Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Lieutenant Stan Olsen. Get the details here. (Photo credit: Isaac Brekken/Review-Journal.)

University of Nevada Las Vegas professor of criminology and noted anti-drug war activist Randall Shelden blogged about the marijuana initiative in a recent post. He writes about the history of marijuana prohibition and discusses the dire need for a sensible marijuana policy ... like Question 7 on the ballot here in Nevada this November.

This morning, CRCM attracted some attention for challenging the Clark County Commission on their intention to pass a resolution opposing Question 7. We did confront them, and we'll soon be taking action against the Commission for using public resources to oppose a state ballot initiative.

The Associated Press distributed an article on Nevada's attorney general candidates discussing issues they might face if elected. Republican Don Chairez and Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto touched on Nevada's medical marijuana law, passed in 1998 and 2000.

Key quote:

The candidates split on medical marijuana laws. Chairez said he supported Nevada's legalization of medical marijuana in 2000. Cortez Masto said she did not, but said she would "support and enforce that law if it's ever challenged."

Now, as you may know, CRCM doesn't endorse candidates for office. But we've got to question the reasoning of any candidate who doesn't support the will of Nevada's voters in two separate elections -- and apparently doesn't think that the medical use of marijuana by sick and dying patients is a worthy proposition. Is this the type of person Nevadans want representing their legal interests?

A recent study revealed that when malls stay open on Sundays, religious people use more drugs and alcohol. Sounds absurd, right? But it seems that shopping malls may be the real "gateway" to drug use ...

The study examined the effects of repealing "blue laws," which prohibit selling nonessential items, like those sold at malls. When these laws are eliminated, and more retailers stay open on Sundays, adults consume more alcohol and drugs -- but not just any adults: those who go to church.

Key quote:

Instead of going to church, many of the faithful apparently were going astray. Marijuana use increased by 11 percentage points among church attendees, compared with those who never went to services, after the shopping ban was lifted. Cocaine use increased by nearly 4 percentage points, and heavy drinking increased by about 5 1/2 percentage points among churchgoers compared with those who never went to services, with frequent attendees even more likely to go on benders.

Incredible! Have we found the true culprit of "gateways" everywhere?

More than anything, this is further evidence that the so-called "gateway theory" for marijuana is just a myth used by prohibitionists to distract us from the facts: Our current marijuana laws don't work. It's time to stop theorizing and enact a sensible policy alternative to the war on marijuana.

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

Cory Farley of the Reno Gazette-Journal wrote a column about the benefits of regulating marijuana instead of allowing it to remain in the criminal market. As he points out, our current policy of prohibition hasn't exactly been successful at getting rid of marijuana, and it has placed a huge burden on our criminal justice system.

Key quote:

Legalization is simply the lesser evil: What we're doing now doesn't amount to much but a full-employment program for lawyers and cops. Legalization of small amounts, with taxation, might clear the system for serious offenders and slow the flood of outgoing cash.

Nevada spends roughly $42 million every year enforcing marijuana prohibition. If we remove marijuana from the criminal market, we can free those resources to use toward resolving more serious issues.

Farley also recommends that those who have concerns about marijuana regulation visit a helpful Web site to get all their questions answered.

Key quote:

OK, but you have doubts? Me, too. Most of them are addressed in more detail than I have room for right here: www.regulatemarijuana.org.

We're happy to spread the word on the importance of adopting a sensible marijuana policy. Please help us pass Question 7. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

CRCM's own Patrick Killen had a letter-to-the-editor printed in the Nevada Appeal this week. He argued that a recent article in the Appeal about Nevada National Guard troops who are stationed at the U.S.-Mexico border demonstrates a key failure of our marijuana laws.

Key quote:

The troops are assisting with the Border Patrol's efforts to reduce illegal immigration, but they have also witnessed drug smugglers bringing marijuana into the U.S. from Mexico -- threatening the lives of Border Patrol agents in the process.

This is a classic illustration of the failure of our marijuana laws: The prohibition of marijuana has led to a profitable criminal market, which is luring drug cartels across our border. Along the way, they threaten the lives of our border guards.

If we remove marijuana from the criminal market, we can take money out of the hands of violent gangs and drug dealers who are currently profiting from it -- which means fewer criminals smuggling marijuana into the United States, threatening violence to anyone who stands in their way. It's time to deal with marijuana more responsibly by taxing and regulating it.

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

The Reno Gazette-Journal published a letter-to-the-editor in support of Question 7. Howard Knudsen of Reno wrote in to express support for taxing and regulating marijuana as a way to provide funds for students and schools that currently lack resources.

Key quote:

Currently, Nevada police waste time and taxpayer resources on pursuing, arresting and imprisoning peaceful marijuana smokers. Instead of continuing this waste of money, while ignoring our state's most vulnerable citizens, Nevada should tax and regulate marijuana distribution. The extra money provided by such tax could improve our lackluster education system, while providing opportunities to our community's minorities and low-income students.

A 2002 study conducted by UNLV estimated that taxing and regulating marijuana would result in $28 million in tax revenue for Nevada. If Question 7 passes, half of that income would go to the state's general fund, where it can be used for the state's most pressing needs -- such as increasing funding for our education system.

Taxing and regulating marijuana is the right step for Nevada. Please help us pass Question 7. Register to vote, volunteer, donate.

An important study was just published that demonstrates a clear link between marijuana use and improved patient health. (You can read the abstract of the study here.) Researchers compared two sets of patients in a hepatitis C treatment program -- one of which used marijuana while the other set did not. The patients who used marijuana were much more likely to stick to their medication regimen, and they showed significant improvement against the infection. Marijuana use in this case not only helped control the unpleasant side effects of treatment, but it also actively improved patients' health.

This is more evidence that marijuana's classification as a dangerous substance needs to be revised. No one should go to jail for responsible use of a substance that is safer than alcohol and can actually improve health in some instances.

Kudos to Passage, who posted this item over the weekend on our forum.

NORML has reported that the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) is spending our government resources on destroying "ditchweed," a non-psychoactive form of wild marijuana plants. While the figures aren't complete for all states, they clearly show that an overwhelming number of plants reported by local law enforcement agencies as eradicated marijuana are in fact not active marijuana plants.

Key quote:

According to the data, available online at: http://www.albany.edu/sourcebook/pdf/t4382005.pdf, of the estimated 223 million marijuana plants destroyed by law enforcement in 2005, approximately 219 million were classified as "ditchweed," a term the agency uses to define "wild, scattered marijuana plants [with] no evidence of planting, fertilizing, or tending." Unlike cultivated marijuana, feral hemp contains virtually no detectable levels of THC, the psychoactive component in cannabis, and does not contribute to the black market marijuana trade.

Any guesses as to how many millions of taxpayer dollars are spent eradicating harmless ditchweed? It's time to take a real step toward responsible use of our resources by taxing and regulating marijuana. Removing marijuana from the criminal market will allow us to stop spending billions of tax dollars attempting to enforce the failed policy of prohibition.

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

Today is the fifth-year anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S. We here at CRCM are taking a moment to remember the Americans who lost their lives on this day five years ago, and to appreciate the great freedoms we enjoy as citizens of this nation.

All the way from the Texas capital, the Austin Chronicle covered the drug czar's interference in the campaign to tax and regulate marijuana in Nevada.

Key quote:

His trip to Reno was arranged, ostensibly, to hand off federal funds earmarked for fighting drug couriers in northern Nevada, says Neal Levine, campaign manager for the drug-reform initiative known as Question 7. But Levine says Walters made plenty of time to attack the tax-and-regulate proposition.

It doesn't take much to see through Drug Czar John Walters' efforts to manipulate Nevada voters (on the taxpayers' dime, no less). Given all the bad press he's garnering -- particularly for the recent cover-up scandal around the failure of his anti-marijuana ads -- things aren't looking too good for Walters. It seems that even a multi-million-dollar ad budget can't protect the drug czar from the failures of prohibition.

Last week, Reno News & Review published a cover story about the falsities of the drug war, and this week the paper received a letter-to-the-editor commending their opposition to the failed policy of prohibition. Tommy Sargent of Reno wrote about his personal experience with our harmful marijuana laws.

Key quote:

I once "procured" pot for my father-in-law who was dying of cancer. He couldn't keep marinol pills down because (duh!) of the nausea. I'd do it again, but it really pisses me off that I'm a criminal for doing it.

We shouldn't be making criminals out of people who are trying to provide medicine to dying family members. By removing marijuana from the criminal market, we can provide a safe and reliable way for patients and caregivers to purchase marijuana for medical purposes.

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

Author Ryan Grim published an article on Slate.com exposing the deceit of the drug czar when it comes to his anti-marijuana ad campaign. Not only did a $40 million independent study reveal that the ads fail to dissuade teenagers from using marijuana, but the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) -- the two agencies that produced the ads -- attempted to cover up the results of the study.

Key quote:

Five years and $43 million to show that a billion-dollar ad campaign doesn't work? That's bad. But perhaps worse, and as yet unreported, NIDA and the White House drug office sat on the Westat report for a year and a half beginning in early 2005 -- while spending $220 million on the anti-marijuana ads in fiscal years 2005 and 2006.

This shocking piece of news reveals just how far the drug czar will go to bury evidence that his policies are complete failures. His office knew that the ad campaign wasn't working -- and in fact was demonstrated to increase teens' interest in using marijuana -- but they continued to spend almost quarter of a billion dollars on the ads. And when the Government Accountability Office tried to review the report, NIDA and the White House first resisted revealing the results, then said the information was too old to be useful anymore! These agencies are apparently so committed to their prohibitionist views that they've attempted a government cover-up of damaging information.

As you'll recall, the drug czar recently visited Nevada to campaign against Question 7. The next time he comes to campaign in our state, we hope he'll be upfront with the voters about the failures of the government's anti-marijuana ad campaign -- but we're not holding our breath.

As we blogged earlier, incumbent Alaska governor and avowed prohibitionist Frank Murkowski was defeated in last month's Republican primary election. In one article, the two major party nominees seeking to replace Murkowski shared their positions on the marijuana issue.

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[Republican nominee Sarah] Palin doesn't support legalizing marijuana .... But when it comes to cracking down on drugs, she says methamphetamines are the greater threat and should have a higher priority. Palin said she has smoked marijuana -- remember, it was legal under state law, she said, even if illegal under U.S. law -- but says she didn't like it and doesn't smoke it now.

"I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled."

So, Palin does not currently use marijuana -- but she has tried it in the past. Was Palin's life destroyed by using marijuana? Did she become a hard drug user? Nope. She's led a successful life in public service in Alaska. Another perfect example of why the so-called "gateway theory" is a myth. And unlike our nation's drug czar -- who has been criticized for focusing too much on marijuana and not enough on hard drugs -- Palin recognizes the threats to Alaskans posed by methamphetamine.

And the Democratic nominee?

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[Democratic nominee Tony] Knowles said he supports the constitutional right to privacy that protects a small amount of marijuana in private homes, and said the state has better ways to spend its public safety money.

"We have an urgent need to use public safety resources for the meth labs that we know are out of control, the gang violence in urban areas and for rural villages that have no public safety service at all," he said.

Former Governor Knowles -- seeking to reclaim the governor's chair after four years on the sidelines -- supports Alaska's current state law allowing the possession of small amounts of marijuana in the privacy of one's home.

As opposed to the last four years under Frank Murkowski, it appears the people of Alaska will have a governor in 2007 with distinctly more rational views on marijuana policy.

The K-News interview is now available here. Be sure to check out this lively debate between CRCM Campaign Manager Neal Levine and K-News talk show host Tim O'Callaghan.

Jack A. Cole, executive director of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), wrote to the Nevada Appeal expressing the organization's support for taxing and regulating marijuana in Nevada. LEAP members consist of police officers and judges who oppose prohibition because they've personally seen how ineffective it is.

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Only prohibitionists endorse a drug distribution system that is controlled by street dealers. The cops and judges who make up our membership believe that regulation is preferable to Prohibition.

The dedicated criminal justice professionals who comprise LEAP know exactly how the policy of prohibition finances the activities of violent gangs and drug dealers. It's time to take profits and control away from criminals by placing marijuana into a tightly regulated and taxed market.

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

Las Vegas Review-Journal columnist Vin Suprynowicz wrote a piece on Sunday about the absurdity of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) when it comes to enforcing marijuana laws. He points out that the DEA not only zealously prosecutes nonviolent activities, they also attempt to prevent legitimate political organizations from advocating change to our failed marijuana laws. (Anyone notice a similarity between the DEA and the drug czar?) Mr. Suprynowicz -- who once criticized our initiative to tax and regulate marijuana -- includes a point about the value of initiatives in changing bad laws.

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Federal authorities claim they have "no choice" but to send people to prison to be buggered and killed for violating their absurd federal drug laws. "If you don't like the law, then work to change it," they advise us.

Goodness, how would we do that? By passing petitions, perhaps? By getting initiatives on the ballot and winning majority approval?

That's what we're doing here in Nevada: working to change a bad law by winning majority approval for Question 7 on the November 7 ballot.

CRCM is excited to unveil our new home page -- located at www.regulatemarijuana.org -- complete with a flash animation description of the marijuana initiative. Be sure to check out this quick and informative overview of Question 7. We also have a nifty "Tell A Friend" function so you can spread the word about passing Question 7 on November 7 to everyone you know.

Thanks to all the generous donors who contributed to our July donation drive and provided the funds for our fabulous new online look. If you haven't yet given to CRCM, please donate today. We have lots of exciting developments planned for the campaign between now and Election Day, but we need your support to make them happen. With your help, we will pass Question 7 on November 7.

Note: If you have any problems viewing the new site at www.regulatemarijuana.org, you can click here for help adjusting your browser.

CRCM wishes all our supporters a happy Labor Day holiday! This weekend is the traditional start of the fall campaign season, and we're looking forward to working with you over the next 65 days to pass Question 7 and end marijuana prohibition in Nevada ... starting tomorrow.

ABC Nightline News took a trip this week to report on the explosion of a drug war zone in Laredo, Texas. Violence in the area has skyrocketed as drug cartels battle over trafficking routes from Mexico to the U.S. through Laredo and its companion city, Nuevo Laredo in Mexico.

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The cartels use the trucks, the warehouses and the interstate to move most of the cocaine, marijuana and methamphetamine that reaches the United States. It's a booming business worth $10 million a day, according to a senior agent at the Drug Enforcement Agency.

Incredibly, Mexican drug cartels moving huge amounts of marijuana into the U.S. qualifies as "a booming business" -- only this business exists entirely in the criminal market and pays no taxes on its profits ... which are all going to violent gangs and drug dealers.

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But in Nuevo Laredo, many Mexicans look across the river and see a never-ending American demand for illegal drugs and a willingness to spend tens of millions of dollars on the cartels that supply them.

"If I was in Laredo, Texas, I'd be embarrassed because the drug corridor is I-35 all the way to Dallas," Nuevo Laredo shop owner Suneson said. "So if this is an easy, a lucrative corridor, this means these drugs are getting across, and the United States is not doing its job. The demand in the United States, this insatiable demand that exists, is driving this frenzy over here, and that's really the problem."

The demand for marijuana in the U.S. has led to a thriving criminal market that is financing the activities of Mexican drug cartels. We can take money out of the hands of these violent gangs and drug dealers by removing marijuana from the criminal market and placing it into a tightly regulated and taxed market. It's a sensible solution to the failures of prohibition.

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

New York Times columnist John Tierney published a column about the folly of America's marijuana policy as compared to the common sense of the marijuana policy in the Netherlands. Despite our failures and their successes, White House drug czars continue to champion prohibition while attacking the Dutch system of regulation. Tierney points out a number of facts the drug czars' zealotry has caused them to overlook.

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"Drug policy is irrelevant," says Cohen, the former director of the Center for Drug Research at the University of Amsterdam. It's quite logical, he says, to theorize that outlawing drugs would have an impact, but experience shows otherwise, both in America and in some European countries with stricter laws than the Netherlands but no less drug use.

The U.S. -- unlike some European countries -- has remained committed to harsh prohibitionist policies for more than 30 years. And yet we've had no more success limiting marijuana use than countries with less punitive policies.

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"Prohibition does not reduce drug use, but it does have other impacts," he says. "It takes up an enormous amount of police time and generates large possibilities for criminal income."

In the Netherlands, that income goes instead to coffee-shop owners and to the government, which exacts heavy taxes. It also imposes strict regulations on what goes on in the coffee shop, including who can be served (no minors) and how much can be sold ...

What an enlightened idea! A system of regulation both decreases the resources wasted on enforcement and diminishes the profits to criminals. Additionally, regulation allows marijuana to be governed in a legal market, with controls and safeguards, while the sales generate tax income for the state.

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Roskam ... acknowledges there's one feature in the American market he can't compete with.

"Drugs are just less interesting here," he said. "One of my best friends here never smoked cannabis, never wanted to even try my products. Then when she was 32 she went to America on holiday and smoked for the first time. I asked her why, and she said: 'It was more fun over there. It was illegal.'"

Could it be that keeping marijuana illegal actually entices people to try it? Prohibition is an irresponsible policy on many levels -- it encourages misuse of marijuana; it allows a thriving criminal market to fund the activities of violent gangs and drug dealers; it's a waste of public resources; and -- worst of all -- it's a miserable failure. It's time to stop pursuing ineffective policies and seek a sensible alternative: the taxation and regulation of marijuana. In this instance, we might just have something to learn from our European neighbors.

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

The Lahontan Valley News and Fallon Eagle Standard reported recently on Nevada's National Guard troops currently stationed in Arizona to assist with the efforts of Border Patrol to limit illegal immigration. Similar to the findings in a recent Las Vegas Review-Journal article, the Lahontan Valley News reports that our National Guard troops have gotten up close and personal with the problem of Mexican drug cartels smuggling marijuana into the U.S.

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[I]t is not uncommon to see young Mexican men carrying 50-pound burlap backpacks of marijuana. In a two-week period, agents seized more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana. Smugglers strapped on 500 pounds of marijuana on a horse and tried to bring the horse into the United States.

The street value of each pound of marijuana is $800, nearly four times as much for hard drugs like cocaine.

The increased number of illegal drugs coming into the country is also increasing the number of assaults on Border Patrol agents.

Soto said from Oct. 1, 2005 to Aug. 22, 596,000 pounds of marijuana have been confiscated. He said there were 31 shooting incidents and 152 incidents of violence against Border Patrol agents.

As we've blogged before, the U.S. Department of Justice reports that "marijuana availability is high and stable or increasing slightly," despite record seizures. The 596,000 pounds of marijuana confiscated along our border since October of last year is just the tip of the iceberg -- a very small fraction of what Mexican cartels are actually able to smuggle into our country.

The evidence of prohibition's failure continues to mount. It's time to stop allowing these cartels to put our border guards at risk while they profit from a free-for-all criminal market. Taxing and regulating marijuana is a sensible alternative to the failure of our marijuana laws.

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

The Las Vegas Review-Journal published an editorial taking the federal government to task for its failed advertising campaign designed to discourage marijuana use amongst teenagers. The Government Accountability Office published findings last week showing that the advertisements had no "significant favorable effects" in deterring marijuana use. Not only that, the ads actually increased teens' interest in trying marijuana! The R-J rightly criticizes the government for spending public resources on these ineffective and wasteful advertisements.

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Americans -- even America's kids -- show an admirable skepticism toward such simple-minded "orders from on high."

Let's not waste any more on this folly.

Indeed. It's time to take a more rational approach to dealing with marijuana use. Placing marijuana into a tightly regulated system allows us to institute a "We Card" system that prohibits sales to minors. Drug dealers don't card.

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

This week's issue of Las Vegas CityLife includes a letter-to-the-editor in support of Question 7. Shel Davis of Reno writes about the difficulty faced by medical marijuana patients in obtaining their medicine -- despite Nevada's medical marijuana law permitting them to use marijuana for medical reasons.

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We currently have a compassionate-use law in Nevada, which provides for the medical use of marijuana per a doctor's prescription. However, this law is meaningless because it does not provide for safe access to medication.

As Ms. Davis concludes, passing the initiative to tax and regulate marijuana will provide a safe and reliable way for medical marijuana patients to access their medicine -- without being forced to resort to the criminal market.

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