Pubdate: Tue, 14 Jan 2014
Source: Boston Herald (MA)
Copyright: 2014 The Boston Herald, Inc
Contact:  http://news.bostonherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53
Note: Prints only very short LTEs.
Author: Hillary Chabot

JOINT AGREEMENT

Gov Hopefuls Say They Won't Push Full Legalization

It's a question of toke as I say, not as I did for the majority of 
the candidates for Massachusetts governor.

While four of the candidates vying for the state's top job - 
including Republican Charlie Baker and Democrat Steve Grossman - 
admitted to previously inhaling yesterday, none of them would support 
a push to fully legalize marijuana in the Bay State.

"Legalizing marijuana is not a priority of mine," said Democratic 
candidate Juliette Kayyem yesterday during an in-studio interview on 
Herald Radio.  She went on to admit she has smoked marijuana.

"Let's just be clear, I grew up in the '80s in California.  I'm not 
gonna lie," she laughed.  Kayyem, who served as a Homeland Security 
secretary under President Obama and Gov.  Deval Patrick, quickly 
followed up by indicating she hasn't smoked for a very long 
time.  "I've had a lot of security clearances."

The 44-year-old mother of three is hardly alone when it comes to 
politicians who have admitted to smoking pot.  Her former boss Obama 
'fessed up to using - and gubernatorial candidates Grossman, Baker 
and Democrat Donald Berwick also copped yesterday to sparking up 
earlier in life.  Only Attorney General Martha Coakley and former 
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts COO Joseph Avellone claim to 
have abstained.

The question comes as the state is grappling with implementation of a 
2012 ballot initiative that legalized medical marijuana, after the 
decriminalization of possession of small amounts of 
marijuana.  Efforts are now underway to get full legalization on the 
2016 ballot.

And while most of the gubernatorial candidates would maintain the 
current law, they were far from swept up by reefer madness.  None of 
them supported legalization of weed similar to recent voter-approved 
initiatives in Colorado and Washington.

"Charlie opposes full legalization of marijuana because of the 
adverse impact it could have on children and families," Baker 
spokesman Tim Buckley said in a brief statement.  Buckley would only 
reveal that Baker smoked pot "a very long time ago."

And while former Obama administration health care official Berwick 
"did experiment with marijuana" in college, he wants to see what 
happens in Colorado before moving forward here.  Grossman remained 
tight-lipped about details of his marijuana use but echoed Berwick's 
sentiments on legalization.

Coakley, a former Middlesex district attorney and prosecutor, has 
never lit up, according to campaign spokesman Kyle Sullivan.

"Martha has concerns about expanding the current law because of the 
potential negative impact it could have on minors in particular," he said.  
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom