Pubdate: Sat, 21 Jun 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.
Authors: O'Ryan Johnson and Bob McGovern
Page: 5

LAWMEN SIDE WITH POPE AGAINST LEGALIZED WEED

Pope Francis' tough stand yesterday against legalizing recreational 
drugs had Bay State lawmen hoping his words will stiffen public 
opinion against a push to legalize marijuana here, even as pot 
backers raised doubts that the Catholic Church carries much influence 
on the hot-button issue.

"I applaud the pope for taking a stand. I hope what he says carries 
some weight. I'm hoping that people will stop and at least consider 
the pros and cons of drug legalization when someone of the pope's 
stature has weighed in," said Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald Jr.

"Speaking locally, with the legalization of medical marijuana, I 
think it's a huge mistake," McDonald added.

Francis told delegates attending a Rome drug enforcement conference 
that even limited steps to legalize recreational drugs "are not only 
highly questionable from a legislative standpoint, but they fail to 
produce the desired effects."

"Let me state this in the clearest terms possible," he said. "The 
problem of drug use is not solved with drugs. Drug addiction is an 
evil, and with evil there can be no yielding or compromise."

Bill Downing, treasurer of Bay State Repeal, a group working to put a 
referendum on the 2016 ballot to make pot legal, said he isn't so 
sure the pope's words carry the same weight they used to.

"I think the pope's influence in modern society is shrinking all the 
time, and I think a lot of it has to do with the experiences people 
here in New England have had with the Catholic Church, which have not 
been exactly pleasant," Downing said.

"Booze, wine - it's the sacrament of the Christian religion. We've 
found a way to control it without making it illegal," he added. 
Smoking weed in Massachusetts has been all but decriminalized, with 
possession of under an ounce of marijuana carrying just a $100 civil 
fine. Medical marijuana is legal, though no dispensaries have yet 
been approved. Those on the front line of the state's war on drugs 
stand firm that the laws banning recreational pot should not be struck down.

"We have seen the evil that drugs cause to every segment of society 
and contrary to what opponents say, we agree that any type of 
unauthorized drug use leads to problems," said Wayne Sampson, 
executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. 
"Anybody in a position of leadership that recognizes the dangers of 
drugs to our community, we certainly appreciate that support."

Another sheriff believes allowing the legalization of marijuana would 
further open the door to a life of drug abuse and crime.

"Being sheriff of an institution that has more than 1,200 inmates 
today, with 80 percent who are drug- and alcohol-addicted, I'm a firm 
opponent of legalization myself," Worcester County Sheriff Lewis G. 
Evangelidis said. "Inmates tell me daily that marijuana was a gateway 
drug for them. I hear that every day."

Michael Cutler, a Northampton attorney with the National Organization 
for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, said the pope is within his rights 
to make a moral judgment about drug use, but he should leave policy 
to the politicians.

"I'm not about to tell the pope what to do. He's a religious leader. 
If you had a law enforcement problem, would you go to the local 
priest? If you have a medical problem, do you go to the priest? These 
are things that are dealt with by medical experts and police," Cutler said.

"We've had decriminalization for six years and the sky hasn't 
fallen," he added. "The question is no longer whether we are going to 
have legalized marijuana, the only question is on what terms."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom