KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasProtestors, Supporters Speak Out About Marijuana Question

Protestors, Supporters Speak Out About Marijuana Question

It was just a few years ago; Nevada voters approved the use of marijuana for medical purposes. Voters will soon head to the polls again to decide whether to legalize marijuana for personal use.

The organization Stop DUI held a news conference on the controversial issue and urged voters to say no to Question 7. But supporters of the amendment were also on hand.

Question 7, if passed, would allow anyone 21 or older to sell, purchase and use up to one ounce of marijuana.

Supporters say it would also stiffen the penalties for people convicted of killing or seriously injuring someone while driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But those who oppose Question 7 call the measure a wolf in sheep's clothing.

18-year-old Brittany Faber has strong feelings about Question 7. "When I was 8, my dad was taken from us in a car crash by a man who was high on marijuana. My mother lost her husband and best friend, and my brother, my sister and I lost a wonderful father."

Supporters of Question 7 -- like the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana, say, if passed, the measure would regulate and tax the sale of up to one ounce of marijuana.

It would also double the prison time and fines for anyone convicted of killing or seriously injuring someone while driving under the influence and more.

Neil Levine is with the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana. He says, "We double the penalty for anyone who gives marijuana to a minor. So we take it out of the school yard and put it into a tightly regulated system."

But UNLV student Brittany Faber, who has spent most of her childhood pushing for tougher penalties against DUI offenders, says she won't support any measure that legalizes any amount of marijuana, arguing it will only make the drug more readily available to minors."

"Alcohol is supposedly tightly regulated but go to any college party and you'll see it is still readily available. It's everywhere," Faber said.

That argument is also one of the key reasons the group Stop DUI is opposing Question 7.

An ounce of marijuana is equivalent to about 60 marijuana cigarettes.

Send your comments to Reporter Alyson McCarthy at amccarthy@klastv.com