Press and social media toolkit — Nevada

 

Sample letter to the editor (generally limited to 150-200 words; check with your local paper for details):

Special interests from Washington D.C. hope that Nevada voters will pass Question 2 this November and legalize marijuana. What they don’t tell you, however, is that Question 2 is about a few getting rich at the expense of our children.

Question 2 would allow pot shops in our neighborhoods—where our children live—to sell kid-friendly pot products like lollipops and gummy bears that are easily mistaken for ordinary candy. And local cities and counties in Nevada will be unable to ban sales of such products or control advertising. Clark and Washoe Counties could have 100 pot shops alone.

Question 2 also gives special treatment to corporate interests and select alcohol companies investing in marijuana. This isn’t about business opportunities for average Nevadans, but about corporate handouts to a privileged few.

Do we really think a new “Big Marijuana” industry, led by billionaires and drug dealers, is a good thing for our state, and our kids? Voters should reject legalization in November this fall.

 

Sample op-ed column (usually a good deal longer than a letter to the editor; check with your local paper for details):

This November voters in Nevada will choose whether or not to legalize pot in our state. What the out-of-state special interests financing this effort aren’t telling us is that this ballot initiative would create hundreds of neighborhood pot shops selling kid-friendly pot products like lollipops and gummy bears, easily mistaken for ordinary candy. It would also create a corporate “Big Tobacco”-like industry with the goal of making a few people rich. Nevada’s kids would lose.

It is blatantly obvious how Question 2 has been written to benefit special interests. If passed, the alcohol industry would be given special treatment to distribute pot in our state – in as much as 100 stores in Clark and Washoe counties alone.

Question 2 also permits pot products with very high potency levels, which has led to many more marijuana poisoning cases in states with legalized pot. So Question 2 isn’t about public safety, but about marketing an addictive and harmful drug for profit.

Finally, let’s consider the effect on our workforce and economy. Studies show teenagers who regularly use marijuana have lower IQ, higher dropout rates, and do worse on college entrance exams. Nevada is currently near the bottom of most U.S. rankings in education. At a time when skilled graduates are needed to fill Nevada jobs, we can’t afford to fall any further.

To protect Nevada, voters should reject Question 2.

 

Examples of social media content for Twitter, Facebook, and other sites (all of the below are Twitter friendly — 140 characters or less):

  • Question 2 wld allow 100+ pot shops in Clark/Washoe counties alone & let them sell pot gummy bears/candy. Not good–vote No this November!

  • Question 2 written to prioritize big business over our kids. Would allow sales of pot gummy bears and candies. Vote No!

  • Nevada ranks lowest in US in education. Legal pot won’t help. Vote No on Question 2!