FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JANUARY 28, 2003

Drug Czar Defies Nevada Election Officials

Refuses to Disclose Money Spent Against Marijuana Initiative

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- White House "Drug Czar" John Walters today refused to report how much money he spent campaigning against Question 9, Nevada's November 2002 marijuana initiative. Walters' refusal came in response to a written request from Nevada Secretary of State Dean Heller that he explain his failure to file campaign finance reports as required by Nevada law.

In a Jan. 27 letter to Heller, Walters' office claimed he was "immune" from Nevada's campaign finance law "as a federal officer acting within the scope of duties, including speaking out about the dangers of illegal drugs."

Heller's Jan. 14 letter to Walters, issued in response to a complaint filed by the Marijuana Policy Project, reminded Walters that Nevada statutes require "the reporting of contributions and expenses for every person or group of persons organized formally or informally who advocates the passage or defeat of a question or group of questions on the ballot at any election."

Walters flew to Nevada twice to campaign against Question 9, traveling around the state in a motorcade with a security detail to speak at anti-Question 9 events. For example, as reported in the Oct. 12 Las Vegas Review-Journal, he told a gathering of reporters and law-enforcement officials that the measure was a "con" and "insulting to the voters of the state." He openly acknowledged the political nature of his trip, saying in the Oct. 11 Review-Journal that he was there "to challenge this ballot initiative." The Oct. 23 Chicago Tribune and the Nov. 5 Wall Street Journal reported similar comments. Walters also authorized a series of anti-marijuana television commercials, which saturated Nevada airwaves in the two months prior to the election.

"Walters has moved from simply ignoring the law to actively defying it," said Steve Fox, director of government relations for the Washington, D.C.-based Marijuana Policy Project, which sponsored Question 9. "Claims that he was just doing his job by speaking out about the dangers of marijuana are absurd and insulting. He campaigned against Question 9 overtly and energetically, most likely spending tens of thousands of dollars of the taxpayers' money in the process. All we ask is that he follow the law and play by the same rules we had to obey. We reported our campaign expenditures, and he should report his."

MPP has filed a separate complaint with the federal Office of Special Counsel charging Walters with violating the federal Hatch Act, which restricts campaign activity by federal officials. A response to that complaint is still pending.

With 11,000 members nationwide, the Marijuana Policy Project works to minimize the harm associated with marijuana -- both the consumption of marijuana and the laws that are intended to prohibit such use. MPP believes that the greatest harm associated with marijuana is imprisonment. To this end, MPP focuses on removing criminal penalties for marijuana use, with a particular emphasis on making marijuana medically available to seriously ill people who have the approval of their doctors. For more information, please visit http://www.mpp.org.