Nevada politicians and police officials should be barred from advocating against a ballot item that asks voters to allow legal use of marijuana, supporters argued before a county court judge.

The Associated Press reported Oct. 19 that the sponsors of Question 7 alleged in Clark County District Court that members of the Clark County Commission, University of Nevada regents, Washoe District Attorney Dick Gammick, and Las Vegas Police Lt. Stan Olsen illegally campaigned against the marijuana question on public time.

"Nobody's tax dollars should be used to tell people how to vote," said Neal Levine, manager of the Committee to Regulate and Control Marijuana.

The group is seeking an injunction against future lobbying by the officials. Lawyers for the defendants denied that they had broken a state law that prohibits officials from spending tax money to support or oppose ballot questions.

"The county commission did not use taxpayer dollars in any substantive fashion to express their views on the marijuana initiative," said Clark County Commission lawyer Mary-Anne Miller, who said that commissioners addressed Question 7 during a properly advertised public meeting. "This is unlike the situation ...  where a local government spent tax dollars mailing out information that could be construed as advocacy," she said.