Boston Globe Examines Nevada’s Marijuana Ballot Initiative
The Boston Globe today profiles Question 9, a Nevada ballot initiative that would allow adult residents to legally possess up to three ounces of marijuana for private recreational purposes and would require the state to regulate the sale and production of the drug, reporting that proponents of the referendum have focused their campaign on the issue of medical marijuana. Polls have shown that a large majority of U.S. residents support allowing marijuana for medicinal purposes (Friess, Boston Globe, 11/4). Nevada voters in 2000 ratified a ballot initiative that permits the possession and use of marijuana with a physician's recommendation for the treatment of certain illnesses (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 11/8/00). However, people who qualify to receive the drug must "risk arrest" by purchasing marijuana from drug dealers, the Globe reports. If Question 9 is approved, Nevada voters would have to pass the referendum again in 2004 to ratify it as an amendment to the state's constitution. The Globe reports that the initiative represents "the most serious challenge to the nation's marijuana prohibition since the drug was banned by Congress in 1937." However, it is unclear whether Nevada voters will pass the measure; a recent poll indicated that 60% of likely voters opposed the initiative (Boston Globe, 11/4).
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.