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Pubdate: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 Source: Sacramento Bee (CA) Copyright: 2002 The Sacramento Bee Contact: http://www.sacbee.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/376 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?162 (Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement) POT-MEASURE FOES HAVE NEW VOICE CARSON CITY (AP) - The chief spokesman for law enforcement groups opposing Nevada's marijuana legalization ballot question has been replaced after alleging a drug cartel link to the legalization effort. Clark County Deputy District Attorney Gary Booker was replaced by Las Vegas Metro Police Sgt. Rick Barela. Barela said Tuesday there was a need to make one person the source of information about organized opposition to Question 9. Now a public information officer, Barela was a patrol officer and handled marijuana cases. Booker claimed at a state Board of Health meeting on Friday that a man with ties to South American drug cartels was financing Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement. The organization, headed by Billy Rogers, is campaigning for passage of Question 9, which would amend the state Constitution and let adult Nevadans possess 3 ounces or less of marijuana in their homes. Rogers demanded an apology from Booker, saying the group never would take donations from anyone associated with a drug cartel. Rogers also sought an apology from Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, who said the source of the drug cartel information was a publication owned by perennial presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche. - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom