Agency Should Get Own House in Order Public support for the legalization of marijuana is on the rise. According to a recent Gallup poll, 58 percent of Americans think it should be legalized. That's a 14 percent jump since Gallup polled Americans in 2009, and a 46 percent jump since Gallup first asked the question in 1969. Recreational marijuana use is now legal in four states, and close to two dozen states have provisions allowing the use of marijuana for medical purposes. [continues 396 words]
Re "Marijuana slows achievers" (Upfront, Dec. 3): There are too many variable factors to point toward different countries' educational statistics to rationally claim cannabis (marijuana) causes lower achievement, unless, truth be told, Washoe Assemblymember Pat Hickey is a Republican cannabis prohibitionist with an agenda. Further, using Colorado's example, once government is forced to regulate cannabis, adolescents have less opportunity to acquire the plant than when the black market regulates it. It's time to stop caging responsible adults who choose to use the extremely popular, relatively safe, God-given plant cannabis. Truthfully, Stan White Dillon, Co. [end]
Washoe Assemblymember Pat Hickey has come out against the marijuana legalization measure that will appear on next year's Nevada ballot. In a prepared statement, Hickey-former Assembly Republican floor leader-said he took that stance in the interest of U.S. productivity after returning from a trip to Vietnam "where I witnessed firsthand the incredible strides our former enemy has made in overtaking America's educational status in the world." Hickey took the position in his email newsletter. Quoting former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown and California Gov. Jerry Brown, Hickey said pot and low achievement go hand in hand. [continues 82 words]
Well, it's almost over. My class at TMCC called "Welcome to Wonderland-The Golden Age of Psychedelia '65-'67," which wraps up on Wednesday the 18th. This is the second time I've conducted this nostalgic bus ride back to a time that was just a little more remarkable than most, and it leaves me with some unanswered questions. In the class, we re-live the lysergically enhanced music of that rich era (Beach Boys, Stones, Beatles, Dylan, Pink Floyd, etc.) that's now 50 years old. Fifty freakin' years! [continues 418 words]
Civil asset forfeiture (CAF) goes back to our Revolutionary period. Government licensed privateers who raided British merchant ships. Privateers were not pirates. Privateers were licensed by the state to attack and seize enemy assets. Pirates are non-state outlaws who band together to seize any assets they want. There is a lot to like in pirate culture, as any fan of Starz' series Black Sails will attest. But there is even more to like about privateers. Privateers had to follow strict rules that limited collateral damage. [continues 527 words]
Congress tried to end the Drug Enforcement Administration's war on medical marijuana last year. The DEA ignored the clear language of a new law in pursuit of a now-illegal agenda. Now a federal judge has called out the DEA for its unaccountable overreach. Will the DEA ignore a second branch of government to continue one of the country's great policy failures? As the nation's attitude toward marijuana has changed - first with acceptance of medical marijuana and then with the gradual decriminalization of recreational marijuana - the DEA's approach to pot hasn't shifted at all. It relentlessly prosecutes individuals and businesses engaging in commerce legal under state laws. [continues 289 words]
Re "Yes, in your backyard" (Editorial, Sept. 17): Interesting editorial on the marijuana dispensary on Mt. Rose Highway in your Sept. 17 issue, but you ignored a couple of facts. First, the proposed owner/developer moved it there because the original location was too close to his home in Saddlehorn, and he got threatened. Five hundred people there signed a petition to move it. Second, the owner/developer's lobbyist has told the legislature that this is a "nose under tent," and the intention is to sell recreational marijuana. Do the math; there aren't enough medical users per permit to even generate enough money to pay the property taxes. So it's not really medical marijuana establishment, it's a combination liquor store and vape parlor. [continues 189 words]
There was nothing new in your most recent editorial about the federal government's war on drugs ("DEA whitewash," Monday Review-Journal). The logic for legalization of recreational drugs has been common knowledge for many decades, yet the reasons for government resistance have never been forensically addressed. Law enforcement relies heavily upon informants, lots of government-laundered money and citizens who fear and respect the institution. The results of prohibition have been Whitey Bulgers, Drug Enforcement Administration parties and a rebellious population, all of which contribute to rotting the very soul of our once-great republic by undermining the national will. [continues 162 words]
Over-Regulation Only Helps Criminals The fundamental goal of drug decriminalization is to put criminals out of business. It's to bring billions and billions of dollars in black-market, back-room commerce into the sunshine. Prohibitionary policies have done nothing to reduce Americans' demand for currently illegal drugs, and they have cost taxpayers dearly through the militarization of police, crowded courts and the highest incarceration rate in the world. Imagine the results of an armistice in the war on drugs: more resources for community policing, less strain on the justice system and more tax dollars for essential government services. [continues 437 words]
Another Failure of the War on Drugs Each year, the United States spends more than $51 billion on the war on drugs - a war we're clearly losing. The war has become so futile that the federal agency charged with leading the fight has undermined its own mission - and no one is being held accountable. A Justice Department review found that, for years, DEA agents assigned to Colombia indulged in sex parties involving prostitutes supplied by drug cartels. The report found that local police often stood guard during the parties, keeping an eye on the agents' weapons and other belongings, and that three DEA supervisors involved in the parties accepted gifts of money, weapons and other items from the cartels. [continues 354 words]
You want to see how democracy is not supposed to work? Take a look at the hysteria that's going on down at the Washoe County Commission. A couple of hundred NIMBYs are concerned about a medical marijuana dispensary being placed in the Galena Lodge. Public commenters have chosen a scorched earth strategy, attacking and threatening individual commissioners, particularly Kitty Jung, despite the chairwoman's frequent admonishments to act like mannerly adults. They're advocating a "We're inside, close the door to development behind us." [continues 538 words]
Finally, there's a national plan more sophisticated than a soundbite. The gaping hole in the social safety net has allowed far too many Americans to descend into the nightmare of addiction. Nevada, in particular, has been hit hard by the tragedy of heroin addiction and overdose deaths, as a close reading of the obituaries in newspapers around the state reveals. It's no surprise that our last place finish in the number of behavioral health professionals and a severe lack of state funding for treatment has led to 87 percent of Nevadans with drug addiction receiving no treatment last year. Alcoholics fared even worse. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administation's "behavioral health barometer" for 2014, 95 percent of Nevadans who needed treatment for alcoholism didn't get it. [continues 522 words]
Re "A year of living soberly" (Feature story, July 2): This is a subject that is near and dear to my heart. It is a subject I find I must defend over and over in my good, sensible conscience. What is this fascination, nay, obsession, with the concept of addiction? When viewed in a light slightly more favorable, addiction becomes a corn-fed value I force feed myself in times of insecurity: "Up your focus. Focus on persistence. Persist and go further." Where is the line between culturally acceptable behavior and a lifestyle, which needs a stigma? [continues 310 words]
Clark County's first legal medical marijuana dispensary plans to open Monday after months of delays. Euphoria Wellness got final state and county approvals this week, a spokesman said Thursday. The news, a relief for patients and advocates, came more than two years after the Nevada Legislature voted to allow marijuana dispensaries. "It's pretty exciting," said state Sen. Tick Segerblom, who sponsored that bill. "It's one small step, but it's pretty amazing." For its first two days, Euphoria will sell only to invited customers who pre-registered. On Wednesday, it will open to anyone with a state-issued medical marijuana card. The dispensary is at 7780 S. Jones Blvd. in the southwestern Las Vegas Valley. [continues 387 words]
Why One Patient Gave Up Her State Card For more than a year, Sheila Gerstenzang has carried the card in her wallet: "Medical Marijuana Patient." But she's yet to purchase a single bit of marijuana. After a year of frustration and more than $200 out of her pocket, she gave up and let her card expire in May. Months of delays in opening the first legal Las Vegas-area dispensary have cost investors money and frustrated advocates. But the effect on patients has been the most cruel. [continues 1132 words]
Re "Liberals should learn from pot regulation" (Let Freedom Ring, July 30): While I agree with Brendan Trainor's premise that government can screw-up policy implementation, I choose to not agree that all government participation in economic strategic planning is bad. Yes, Nevada has had numerous missteps rolling out the medical marijuana dispensaries, but does that really mean that they can do nothing well? What is the alternative to some degree of government oversight, a free-for-all? Government's role is to establish the rules of the game so people and the environment are not ruined by endless greed. Do they get too heavy-handed on occasion? Of course. [continues 153 words]
Re "Liberals should learn from pot regulation" (Let Freedom Ring, July 30): Whether one supports or opposes medical marijuana establishments in Washoe County, everyone can agree on one issue. The current site dispensary selection procedure is totally devoid of any semblance of promised transparency. Our politicians certainly waxed poetic last November regarding the need for transparency and integrity in government. Would it surprise you to know that this legislation was specifically written to keep secret the identity of the dispensary owners? Tradespeople were required to sign non-disclosure agreements! Prominent dispensary owners only went public to help with public relations damage control when rumors started circulating. This is not governmental transparency in action. [continues 108 words]
Clark County government decided more than a year ago that it wanted medical marijuana dispensaries to operate in unincorporated areas. We know this because county commissioners last year passed an ordinance allowing the dispensaries, then spent weeks meeting with lobbyists and juiced insiders before awarding coveted licenses. And here we are in August 2015- almost 15 years after Nevada voters approved medical marijuana, more than two years after the Legislature finally authorized the retail sale of the drug to registered patients with a doctor's prescription- and no dispensaries are open in Southern Nevada. [continues 308 words]
The long-awaited grand opening of Nevada's first medical marijuana dispensary happened Friday morning in Sparks. More than three dozen people arrived early to wait in line outside the doors of Silver State Relief, snaking their way along the building and into the parking lot. They filled out forms as they waited, eager to purchase the first legal, commercially sold marijuana in the state. Nevada's first medical marijuana dispensary opens in Reno on July 31, 2015. Andy Barron "I'm way more emotional than I thought I would be," said Aron Swan, general manager of the dispensary. [continues 265 words]
In a recent interview with Yahoo News, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie - - also a presidential candidate - said he wants the justice system to "stop treating the victims of addiction as enemies in a war." He said that the war on drugs has been a failure, and that far too many nonviolent offenders are incarcerated. And we totally agree. The trouble is, Gov. Christie's logic ends there. Gov. Christie calls for treatment and not incarceration for nonviolent, addicted offenders, but also says that marijuana (which he calls a "gateway drug") and other drugs should remain illegal, and that if elected president, he would not allow states to decriminalize pot. While Sen. Marco Rubio agrees with Gov. Christie, many of the governor's GOP rivals, including Sens. Rand Paul and Ted Cruz, support letting states set their own polices. [continues 367 words]
I happened to tune into Sam Shad's interview with Sen. Tick Segerblom on the subject of marijuana, specifically medical marijuana, and why it has taken years to get to where we are today. Ironically, Nevadans voted in two elections to legalize and provide distribution centers to make medical marijuana available to those who may be helped by this herbal medication. I must admit, I was shocked, and perhaps even mildly amused to learn that distribution stores are ready to do business. Wow! About time-after two years! [continues 381 words]
A medical marijuana cardholder has filed a lawsuit alleging Nevada's patient registration system is unconstitutional. James Parsons' complaint says federal agents raided his house in 2010 after getting his name from a state patient database. He says provisions in the state's medical marijuana laws and the actions of state officials violate his Second and Fifth amendment rights and constitutional right to privacy. Parsons, whose lawsuit identifies him as a Clark County resident and former Marine, filed the case without an attorney Tuesday in Las Vegas Justice Court. He declined to answer questions Wednesday, saying he planned to have a press conference later. [continues 363 words]
Thanks for publishing Robert Sharpe's thoughtful letter: "Privacy, freedom at stake in drug war" (7-15-15). I'd like to add that many judges and prison wardens have said that 70 to 80 percent of all property crime and violent crime is "drug-related." Actually almost 100 percent of all so-called "drug-related crime" is caused by drug prohibition policies -- not drugs. When Coca-Cola contained cocaine instead of caffeine and sold for 5 cents a bottle, the term "drug-related crime" didn't exist. Neither did drug lords, drug cartels or even drug dealers as we know them today. [continues 110 words]
Editor: Regarding your July 10 editorial on civil asset forfeiture, vague allegations of drug trafficking don't justify turning protectors of the peace into financial predators. The drug war threatens the integrity of a country founded on the concept of limited government. Warrantless government surveillance, drug-sniffing dogs in schools and random drug testing have led to a loss of civil liberties, while failing at preventing drug use. The drug war is largely a war on marijuana consumers. Based on findings that criminal records are inappropriate as health interventions and ineffective as deterrents, a majority of European Union countries have decriminalized marijuana. Despite marijuana prohibition and perhaps because of forbidden fruit appeal, lifetime use of marijuana is higher in the U.S. than any European country. [continues 82 words]
A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling should be the final nail in the coffin for the type of drug-interdiction cash seizures that have generated so much bad publicity in Northern Nevada. Nobody likes to see the bad guys get away, but even more important is Americans' constitutional right to protection from unreasonable searches and seizures. An Elko County case involving more than $167,000 taken from a Delaware RV during a traffic stop was held up in federal court earlier this year pending a ruling in Rodriguez v. United States. In April, the Supreme Court ruled that law enforcement cannot prolong traffic stops to wait for drug-sniffing dogs to arrive and inspect vehicles when there is no probable cause to do so. Justices said police cannot detain drivers after issuing them a ticket, even if a driver appears "nervous." [continues 431 words]
LAS VEGAS (AP) - The top federal prosecutor in Nevada wants to appeal an order to return $167,000 seized from a Hawaii man who was stopped twice on I-80 near Elko but never charged with a crime. U.S. Attorney Daniel Bogden said in a statement this week that his office has asked the solicitor general for authority to challenge U.S. District Judge Larry Hicks' June 12 ruling. The $167,000 was confiscated from Straughn Gorman in January 2013, but the case could cost the government more than $300,000 because the judge also put the government on the hook to pay attorney fees and costs that Gorman's attorney, Vincent Savarese, said total at least $142,000. [continues 205 words]
I am writing in response to "Pot dispensary will not ruin your neighborhood" [Letters, June 17]. Clearly the author of that letter does not understand the concerns of the community residing in the area of Mt. Rose Highway and Thomas Creek Road. We are opposed to a marijuana dispensary in that specific location. The proposed location is less than 1 mile from Galena High School and Hunsberger Elementary School. No community impact study was done to inform parents and homeowners that live in the neighborhood of the proposed facility. We were not given any notice of the marijuana dispensary being considered for this location before the license was granted. [continues 90 words]
A federal judge recently sentenced a 31-year-old man with no criminal record to life in prison for running a website. Russ Ulbricht ran the Silk Road on the dark net. Many don't know that Google-style search engines only sweep 30 percent of the internet. The other 70 percent is accessible on The Onion Router (TOR) through a freely downloadable browser. The dark web is perfectly legal, used for legitimate research purposes. The dark web is anonymous, as the digital packets are rerouted over and over through servers in multiple nations. [continues 501 words]
Police, Federal Agents Disrupt Pot Education Convention Las Vegas police and federal agents arrested 10 people and seized drugs over the weekend at Hempcon, a marijuana education convention at the Cashman Center. People who were there described seeing police dogs around the event, as well as officers on the roof of the building, apparently looking for people smoking marijuana. The arrests outraged event organizers, and some attendees said they left medical marijuana patients frightened as Nevada's first legal dispensaries prepare to open. [continues 766 words]
Investors See Opportunity in Decriminalization, Treatment Richard Branson has brought his war on the war on drugs to Las Vegas. Branson, the charismatic founder of the Virgin Group, was a panelist at a session debating U.S. drug policy at the Starbridge Capital Alternatives Conference, a high-level investment event that brings in top names in business, government and politics to discuss issues leading to wise investment decisions. Among the big names at the four-day conference at Bellagio that ends today were former Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke; energy entrepreneur T. Boone Pickens; retired CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus; political operatives James Carville and Karl Rove; actor Michael J. Fox; retired tennis professional Andre Agassi; and billionaire entrepreneuradventurer Branson, who produced a documentary "Breaking the Taboo" on drug addiction. [continues 435 words]
I am astonished at the uncompromising ignorance some people exhibit while speaking (or writing) on a topic they know absolutely nothing about. The subject matter of concern to me here is marijuana, and more specifically, the plant itself. The hemp plant has been around for millennia, and has provided humans with benefits still being discovered to this very day. The discovery of the New World was powered by hemp sails and rigging. With modern technology, we are learning we can use the hemp plant in many ways to take advantage of this natural gift of the earth. Hemp seed, as an example, is nature's perfect food product, containing proteins and essential fatty acids. Only recently have we talked about the medicinal benefits contained in marijuana. Some state legislators have passed laws legalizing medical marijuana, including our very own state of Nevada. Others have begun the process of legalizing the plant for recreational use. [continues 215 words]
Labs, Dispensaries Have Been in Limbo for Months Awaiting Policy After spending months in limbo, waiting for the state to hash out rules for testing medical marijuana, laboratories might be able to get to work soon. That moves patients one step closer to the first legal sales in dispensaries. A state health official said Tuesday that all the rules are in place for labs to start testing marijuana. But in a sign of how confusing the process has been, that news came as a surprise to a dispensary owner and a lab scientist, who both expected a longer wait for the state to finalize some rules. [continues 580 words]
Nevada Lawmakers Get Up-Close View of Colorado's Pot Business With medical marijuana already here and full legalization on the ballot in 2016, a group of Nevada legislators took a trip to Denver last weekend to get an up close look at how the state is handling its booming cannabis market. What they saw was impressive, according to Sen. Patricia Farley, R-Las Vegas, who said Nevada would do well by mirroring the laws and regulations Colorado has put into place. [continues 894 words]
Re "Borders on slander" (Letters to the Editor, April 2): It may seem odd to some individuals that I am hardly a "member of the elite liberal progressive class," as, apparently, some folks on the right (and please forgive me for using labels here, but I do so merely to make a point) have labeled me. Evidently, I have given this impression because I questioned the role of Congress. Seriously, I believed they represented the people. The former and current Congress may not be the worst in our history, but it's darned close. The manner in which some members of Congress conduct themselves is beyond shameful. Spending so much energy on vilifying the sitting president is schoolyard bullshit. You may get standing ovations and cheers from the part of your constituency that really hates the president, but you're not getting anything done. And that is why sitting members of Congress should be working to get things done! It is called compromise, folks. It's finding some common ground somewhere and working on it. Perhaps some of Sen. Dean Heller's fellow senators can take a cue from our GOP senator from Nevada. He's far from perfect, but at least he tries to get things done for his home state and for his country. We "liberals" can applaud him for that. [continues 292 words]
The seeds of a health care revolution in drug and alcohol treatment are just starting to germinate. The outcome is far from certain, but, with billions on the table, an epic battle is percolating. Let's start with the convoluted back story. A hundred-plus years ago, drug and alcohol problems were generally viewed as moral weakness and/or personality defect confined to working class Caucasians or ethnic minorities. Alcohol and drug use was legal in America. Then, the temperance movement produced alcohol Prohibition in 1920. [continues 694 words]
Can Nevada's Newest Crop Weather a Record Drought? In late March, Sierra Wellness Connection became Nevada's first commercial medical-marijuana business to get state approval. Less than a week later, the fledgling company led by former University of Nevada, Reno president Joe Crowley also got the City Council's unanimous nod to sell the medicine. As of press time, Sierra Wellness and Certified Ag Lab of Sparks were the only two such establishments to clear the final state hurdle, said Pam Graber with the Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health. More are coming, of course, as hundreds of companies received provisional certifications last year. [continues 473 words]
Las Vegas Review-Journal With February's Nevada caucuses fast approaching, the Review-Journal is publishing a 10-editorial series on policies and government reforms all candidates should be able to get behind. The fifth policy goal we'd like all presidential candidates to champion: removing marijuana from Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Marijuana laws are among the most perplexing laws in the nation. While federal law bans any and all uses of the drug, many states allow the possession, production and use of marijuana for medical purposes. Meanwhile, since the federal government argues that federal law trumps state law, the federal government can, in theory, prohibit the use of marijuana anywhere it wants to, and the states can't do anything about it. [continues 364 words]
Civil Forfeiture Puts Burden of Proof on Suspects, Not State In January, the U.S. Justice Department curtailed the ability of state and local law enforcement agencies to piggyback on federal law as cover for seizing billions in cash and property from people who are never formally charged with wrongdoing. Nevada lawmakers now have an opportunity to build upon that federal reform. Legislation introduced in Carson City would protect Nevadans from the danger of subjugating the presumption of innocence to policies that let state and local police agencies seize and keep money, cars, homes or other property without a warrant or criminal charge. [continues 784 words]
Forum Addresses Resource-Heavy Indoor Cultivation Early last year, the broker for a 100,000-square-foot warehouse near Las Vegas called the power company to find out how much juice the building would need. Longtime NV Energy executive Arnold Lopez went out to meet a group on the site and asked what kind of business they planned. After some hesitation, they told him: medical marijuana cultivation. Lopez asked questions and started doing some quick math. And, as State law prohibits outdoor cultivation he recalled, "All of a sudden I came up with numbers I'd never seen before." [continues 566 words]
Businesses Waiting for State Committee to Develop Rules for Pesticides Nevada's first legal marijuana dispensaries can't open yet because a state advisory committee hasn't figured out what pesticides growers will be allowed to use on plants. That leaves it uncertain when the first of 8,575 cardholders - close to 6,200 of them in Clark County - will be able to buy medical pot in a shop. "All I know is I'm done. I'm ready. I can move quickly," said Joe Lamarca, co-owner of Euphoria Wellness, a dispensary southwest of McCarran International Airport. "I just need to get others on the same page." [continues 700 words]
From the news coming out of Washoe County, you'd almost think there's a glaucoma epidemic erupting at Lake Tahoe's Incline Village. Not one, but three licenses for medical marijuana dispensaries have been issued to companies with plans to open pot shops at Incline and nearby Crystal Bay. Incline Village has just 8,000 permanent residents, but of course this isn't really about them. The area bustles with visitors during ski season and vacationers seeking to beat the heat in summer. Lake Tahoe's South Shore casinos are just a few miles away. The region draws more than 4 million visitors a year. [continues 532 words]
Inside Nevada
