Marijuana Policy Project

Neil Levine must partake of the same substance he's trying to legalize in Nevada. Does he really think that Commissioner Myrna Williams is the only one who opposes his marijuana initiative? It sure appears so from his April 20 "Your Opinion" column.

Mr. Levine is new to our state, so perhaps he wasn't yet aware that every law enforcement group in Nevada strongly opposes the ballot measure and will work extremely hard to defeat it. Every sheriff—including Clark County's Bill Young and Washoe County's Dennis Balaam, as well as me—will do everything in our power to make sure this initiative fails. We will be joined by all of the district attorneys in Nevada and every leader in our criminal justice system.

Why do all of these law enforcement professionals oppose the ballot question? Because we work every day with criminals and we know the damage marijuana and other drugs do in our society. I have rarely met a heroin, crack or meth addict who didn't start with marijuana.

And the argument that violent criminals don't smoke marijuana is just ludicrous. The deranged gunman who shot Metro Police Sgt. Henry Prendes frequently smoked marijuana and had the drug in his system when he attacked Prendes and other police officers.

Why do Mr. Levine and his rich associates keep coming to Nevada and spending millions trying to get marijuana legalized? Because our open initiative laws give them the best chance to get a ballot question approved. It has nothing to do with any care or concern for our citizens and the well-being of our families.

Our police and district attorneys, on the other hand, are only concerned with the safety and well being of Nevada families. Does Mr. Levine honestly think he can come in here from Washington D.C. and tell us what's best for our state? The last people who tried that—those who wanted to turn Nevada into a nuclear waste dump—found out just how tough it can be put one over on our residents.

By the way, it's not just law enforcement that opposes the legalization of marijuana. In 2005, Mr. Levine and his supporters tried to get the Nevada Legislature to approve the question. They got a hearing, but not one legislator was willing to support the legislation.

Here's the question Nevada's citizens need to be asking when they go to the polls this November: Do you trust the men and women you've elected and hired to protect and defend you and your families, or do you trust hired consultants and big money interests who want to turn your neighborhoods into this country's version of Amsterdam?

Mr. Levine, for what it matters, the men and women of law enforcement, the ones who deal with criminals every day, will be voting with Commissioner Williams this year and opposing your initiative.

RICHARD PERKINS IS SPEAKER OF THE NEVADA ASSEMBLY AND CHIEF OF POLICE FOR THE CITY OF HENDERSON.