Press Release: LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST PROHIBITION (LEAP) ENDORSES QUESTION 2, THE INITIATIVE TO REGULATE MARIJUANA LIKE ALCOHOL IN NEVADA

For Immediate Release: October 27, 2016

Contact: Mikayla Hellwich

Media@leap.cc

240.461.3066

LAW ENFORCEMENT AGAINST PROHIBITION (LEAP) ENDORSES QUESTION 2, THE INITIATIVE TO REGULATE MARIJUANA LIKE ALCOHOL IN NEVADA

Criminal Justice Experts Say Question 2 Will Promote Public Safety

Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), a nonprofit group of police, judges, prosecutors, and other criminal justice professionals, today announced its endorsement of Nevada’s ballot Question 2 to regulate marijuana as a means of refocusing the justice system on more pressing crimes and improving the relationship between communities and police.

The proposed initiative would allow adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce of marijuana and up to one eighth of an ounce of marijuana extract. Question 2 would also establish the framework for a responsibly regulated system of licensed marijuana retail stores and cultivation, manufacturing, and testing facilities. The initiative would place a 15% excise tax on wholesale marijuana sales.

“Responsibly regulating marijuana will help to drive out the risky and untaxed illegal marijuana market – thus reducing the power of gangs and improving public safety for Nevada’s residents and law enforcement officers,” said Maj. Neill Franklin (Ret.), LEAP’s executive director. “Police will then be able to refocus valuable resources to help bring justice to victims of serious crimes.”

If passed, Question 2 will ensure protection for patients enrolled in Nevada’s medical marijuana program. Consuming marijuana in public and driving while impaired on marijuana will remain illegal. Taxes and fees will first be used to pay for state and local implementation and enforcement, and all additional money will support K-12 education. According to a Suffolk University poll, 57% of Nevadans support the measure.

California, Maine, Massachusetts, and Arizona are also voting to legalize marijuana for adult use through the ballot initiative process this November. Marijuana is legal for adult use in Colorado, Washington, Alaska, Oregon, and the District of Columbia. Twenty-five states and D.C. have legalized some form of medical marijuana access.

LEAP is committed to ending decades of failed marijuana policies that have damaged the lives of countless Americans and their families, slowed the justice system at every level, and eroded trust between communities and police.

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