Jim Hartman: Vote against ‘Big Marijuana,’ question 2

Nevada voters should now brace against millions of dollars from out-of-state “Big Marijuana” interests supporting Question 2 on the November ballot, the legalization of recreational marijuana. Voters need to realize by voting “yes” on Question 2, they will be adopting all provisions of a 13-page initiative written by large corporate marijuana interests. Nevadans need to know what it is not. This initiative isn’t a Nevada-based libertarian effort to “decriminalize” or “legalize” marijuana.

Rather, the initiative is a special interest “business plan” crafted by and for large marijuana industry donors. It qualified for the ballot as a result of pot promoters paying $660,000 to mercenary signature gatherers. Passage will give monopoly powers to existing medical marijuana retailers and liquor wholesalers, while criminalizing Nevada citizens growing marijuana within 25 miles of the proponents’ pot shops. “Big Marijuana” wants to buy — through an initiative — which they couldn’t achieve in the scrutiny and compromise required by the legislative process. In reality, this initiative is phony “legalization.”

“Big Marijuana” seeks to repeat in Nevada what worked in Colorado in 2012. There, they financially overwhelmed opponents by 5 to 1, spending $3.4 million (90 percent from outside Colorado) in passing special interest “legalization.” This enormous pro-pot advertising advantage overcame opposition from most all public officials — across the political spectrum — from Democrats like Colorado Governor Hickenlooper and Denver Mayor Hancock, to Republicans like Attorney General Suthers and Tea Party favorite, Congressman Buck. The two leading newspapers in Colorado, the “liberal” Denver Post and the “conservative” Colorado Springs Gazette opposed “legalization,” as did the Colorado Education Association and the Greater Denver Chamber of Commerce.

Nevada voters beware: “Big Marijuana” will be repeating the same discredited Colorado advertising falsehoods. “Spinners” in Colorado peddled the tale too much tax money, cop time and space are wasted on incarcerating marijuana users. Maybe that was true three decades ago, but today it’s a myth. According to the Bureau of Justice statistics only 0.7 percent of all state inmates are behind bars for simple marijuana possession.

A second “spin” in Colorado was the false claim the marijuana “black market” would disappear with legalization. According to Colorado Attorney General Cynthia Coffman, “the criminals are still selling on the black market… We have plenty of cartel activity in Colorado (and) plenty of illegal activity that has not decreased at all.” In fact, organized crime has come to Colorado to grow marijuana since legalization.

Finally, a false promise made in Colorado is repeated in Nevada — marijuana tax money goes to education. As Colorado “Weed Czar” Andrew Freedman observed, the tax dollars brought in largely go to the cost of regulating the industry. It’s a “big red herring,” says Freedman.

Don’t get fooled, Nevadans — vote “No” on Question 2.

Jim Hartman is President of Nevadans for Responsible Drug Policy and an attorney residing in Genoa.