Pubdate: Sat, 23 Apr 2016
Source: Boston Globe (MA)
Copyright: 2016 Globe Newspaper Company
Contact: http://services.bostonglobe.com/news/opeds/letter.aspx?id=6340
Website: http://bostonglobe.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/52
Author: John Amabile

NOTE TO BAKER, WALSH, DELEO: LEGALIZATION HAS LEFT THE STATION, SO GET ON BOARD

Governor Charlie Baker, Mayor Martin Walsh, and House Speaker Robert 
DeLeo aligning against the ballot initiative to legalize marijuana 
("KEY players join forces against marijuana") is another instance of 
politicians refusing, to the bitter end, to acknowledge the utter 
failure of criminal regulation. Their arguments are absurd and hypocritical.

Legalization will not increase teens' access to marijuana, since 
right now any child can readily obtain the product on the illegal 
market - a market regulated by gangsters. Marijuana has nothing to do 
with the opioid epidemic.

Regulation of edible marijuana products is a legitimate concern. But 
it just demonstrates that when politicians fail to respond to public 
demand for reform through hearings and carefully crafted legislation, 
the people are forced to proceed by ballot initiative.

Opponents of legalization cite decriminalization and medical 
marijuana to argue that legalization is unnecessary. But both reforms 
were themselves the result of ballot initiatives, with politicians 
kicking and screaming in opposition.

The legalization train has left the station. Baker, Walsh, and DeLeo 
should get on board and make it work well.

John Amabile

Tisbury

The writer is a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom