Nevada Marijuana Initiative Bathroom Ad Campaign Launched in Las Vegas

Published on Fri, Jul 11, 2014 (8:30 a.m.)

Submitted by Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol

LAS VEGAS — The Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol launched its first ad campaign Friday in support of a 2016 ballot initiative to end marijuana prohibition in Nevada. The bathroom-themed ads, which are scheduled to appear in restrooms at more than two dozen restaurants and bars across Las Vegas throughout July and August, highlight the costs of marijuana prohibition and the benefits of replacing it with a system in which marijuana is regulated and taxed similarly to alcohol.

High-resolution versions of the ads can be viewed and downloaded at http://bit.ly/1lXrAW4. One of the first ads posted can be found at Davy’s Locker at 1149 E. Desert Inn Rd.

“A lot of people know alcohol prohibition failed but have yet to realize marijuana prohibition is just as big of a disaster,” said Joe Brezny, a spokesperson for the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. “These ads will reach folks at a time when we know they have a few minutes to put some thought into it.”

One of the two ad designs features a nearly depleted roll of toilet paper made of money accompanied by text reading, “Limited resources should be reserved for serious matters.” A line at the bottom of the ad says, “Law enforcement should focus on wiping out violent crime, not punishing adults for using marijuana.” The second ad design features a toilet filled with money and is accompanied by text reading, “Marijuana sales should produce a stream of revenue for our schools, not violent cartels and criminals.”

“Police and prosecutors have better things to do than punish adults for using marijuana,” Brezny said. “Marijuana is not going anywhere. We can either control it and tax it or keep our heads buried in the sand while criminals get rich.

“It’s time to regulate marijuana and start treating it like alcohol,” Brezny said. “Nevadans deserve a sensible marijuana policy.”

The proposed ballot initiative makes private possession of up to one ounce of marijuana legal for adults 21 years of age and older. It establishes a tightly regulated system of licensed marijuana retail stores, licensed cultivation facilities, licensed manufacturing facilities, licensed testing facilities, and licensed distributors. It creates a 15% excise tax on wholesale marijuana sales (such as those from a cultivation facility to a retail store), and retail marijuana would be subject to standard state and local sales taxes. All revenue from the 15% excise tax will be deposited in the Distributive School Account, which funds K-12 education in Nevada.

More information about the initiative and the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is available at http://www.RegulateMarijuanaInNevada.org.