The Free View-- weblog of a presidential candidate

Pot legalization in Nevada

The other state ballot initiative I am watching closely is in Nevada. They have an initiative there that would legalize (not decriminalize, but actually legalize) marijuana possession for adults. It's sponsored mainly by MPP, The Marijuana Policy Project, through their affiliate Nevadans for Resposible Law Enforcement. It's apparently running pretty close in the polls. It's basically a dead heat between Yes and No.

It would be utterly amazing if this initiative passed. I'm pretty sure that in Nevada, they have it so ballot initiatives need to pass twice before they become law-- so this would just be the first step in the process -- but holy cow, would it be a big step!

I'm pasting in the latest letter I got from the campaign, asking for a last-minute fundraising rush to counter their opposition, which still has a sizable bankroll with which to buy ads. Nevadans apparently vote for two weeks before election day, and then again on election day-- so people are voting on this initiative as I write this.

If you have any spare cash, and a desire for the advancement of marijuana legalization and/or an end to the insane War on Drugs, please consider donating to this campaign now.

Here's the letter I got from Rob Kampia, MPP's Director:

Dear Lance M. Brown:

If you were thinking about donating again to the Marijuana Policy Project's ballot initiative campaign in Nevada, would you please visit http://www.NRLE.org right away? There are only 12 days left until November 5. And you're not going to believe how close the vote is so far ...

The latest statewide poll of 600 Nevada voters -- completed on Tuesday night -- shows that our ballot initiative is still trailing by a mere 44% to 46%, with 10% undecided. We have been 2% down since the polls opened statewide on Saturday.

Since Saturday, approximately 7,000 voters in the Las Vegas area have been voting daily. (The county government issues daily reports on how many people are voting, but not how they are voting.)

With every day that passes, about 3,430 votes are falling into the "yes" column in Las Vegas, and about 3,570 votes are falling into the "no" column. The same trend is true on a smaller scale in Reno and the rural counties.

With every day that passes, we fall another 140 votes behind in Las Vegas -- and a total of about 200 votes behind statewide. As of last night, the cumulative voting from Saturday through Wednesday probably puts us a total of 1,000 votes down statewide, out of about 50,000 votes cast.

The good news is that we are still hanging on by our fingernails in this bold campaign to end the arrest of all adult marijuana users in Nevada. When we launched this campaign back in April, who would have thought that we could defeat the federal government and the Nevada police on this issue?

But there is bad news, too. Our opponents are sitting on $100,000 of the $200,000 they have raised for their TV ad campaign. They are going to use their remaining $100,000 to blitz the Nevada electorate with deceptive TV ads next week, and they need only maintain their 2% margin over us during these last 12 days to defeat us.

Our strategy, in the meantime, is to make up the 2% deficit and take the lead by November 4, because literally half of the Nevada electorate votes on November 5. Quite simply, we can do this if we outspend our opponents two-to-one on TV next week. I reported to you on Monday that our campaign needs to raise $100,000 from you and other supporters this week. The $100,000 worth of TV ads we had already reserved for next week, plus a new $100,000 from this e-mail list this week, will mean that our TV ad blitz will double our opponents' blitz next week, taking us to victory on November 5.

Since Monday, our e-mail list and the Libertarian Party's e-mail list have generated an astounding $24,500 for the Nevada campaign, leaving us in need of only $75,500.

Would you please visit http://www.NRLE.org to donate some of the
remaining $75,500 that is needed to finish off this campaign and achieve victory on November 5?

A donation of $10 will mean that 600 Nevada voters will see one of our TV ads one time each; a donation of $50 means that 3,000 voters will see our ad once. And a $250 donation -- which will pay for 15,000 voter impressions -- can be tax-deductible by visiting http://www.NRLE.org/donate.html and checking the appropriate box.

To give some perspective on how important the final $100,000 is to this campaign, please consider this: The final $100,000 will ensure that all 835,000 potential Nevada voters will see one of our TV ads eight times each.

This initiative to end the arrest of all marijuana users is by far the best opportunity we have ever had to end marijuana prohibition anywhere in the U.S. And this initiative has received generous support from passionate MPP members and other allies in all 50 states ...

Since we launched the Nevada campaign, 4,346 people in all 50 states have donated financially to this effort. Unfortunately, 29,388 people on this e-mail list have not donated anything.

I want to thank you in advance if you decide you are able to make a last-minute donation. Money equals TV airtime. Thank you!

Sincerely,

Rob Kampia
Executive Director
Marijuana Policy Project
Washington, D.C.

P.S. By donating $250 or more now, you will receive a videotape of the TV news coverage and all TV ads from the Nevada campaign. Better yet, we are making a special offer whereby donations of $250 or more can be tax-deductible.

P.P.S. Our first-ever national conference will begin three days after Election Day in Anaheim, California. To join us for what will hopefully be a victory celebration, please register at http://www.mpp.org/conference .

P.P.P.S. To donate through the mail, please send your check to MPP's Nevada Campaign, P.O. Box 77492, Capitol Hill, Washington, DC 20013.