As the number of marijuana users in the United States grows, more and more people are calling for legalization of the drug. Nevadans for Responsible Law Enforcement is a group not far from succeeding. Because of the group’s actions, this November, Nevadans will have the opportunity to vote if marijuana should be legal or not.

This scares many who do not know a lot about the drug. One fear among opponents is that the drug will be easier for children to get their hands on.

If the marijuana initiative passes, this would not be the case. It would not be legal for just anyone to get their hands on. It would be much like alcohol. There would be a minimum age requirement to possess or use the drug. Penalties would be issued for minors who ignore the law as well as for those who choose to sell to minors.

Another of the most prominent fears of legalizing pot is its popularity as a gateway drug. It is much more likely for a pot user to move on to hard drugs than for some one who never smokes pot.

What people ignore is the original drug that opened the gates to marijuana – alcohol. Most pot users didn’t just jump into smoking, they tried drinking first. They liked it, so they tried smoking pot to see if they would like that.

It’s obvious: Alcohol is a gateway drug too, yet it’s legal.

The last of the major fears is addiction.

According to an article on NewScientist.com, marijuana can be fairly addictive to children, but as a person gets older, the chance of dependency decreases a great deal. By age 30, more than 90 percent of people who have used the drug have quit. The same can’t be said for alcohol and nicotine. It is of course psychologically addictive. But so are food, shopping and gambling.

If marijuana is legalized in Nevada, it will allow for regulation and taxation. Regulations state that only licensed dealers are permitted to sell marijuana, no one under the age of 21 would be allowed to purchase the drug, operating a motor vehicle and or heavy machinery would be strictly prohibited and a person would not be allowed possess more than three ounces of the drug at a time.

Every year the government spends billions of dollars trying to get people not to use marijuana. The government would not only save money, but they would get more through taxation. At wholesale, marijuana will be taxed like non-cigarette tobacco products. At retail it will be taxed the same as other general products.

The state of Nevada is being presented with a tremendous opportunity to get rid of nonsense drug laws. People who are productive members of society are thrown in jail every day thanks to the war on drugs. The people of Nevada can end that in their own state.

Editorial Board: Cavan Reagan, Amber Billings, Rachel Faber Machacha,

Charlie Weaver, Zach Calef, Ayrel Clark.