Occasionally an opinion appears which, in its amazingly bizarre reasoning, calls out for a response. On the subject of whether to legalize marijuana, I refer to Steven Epstein's position that "anyone who has a rational mind will see that it's just wrong not to make money on it" ("Voters set to ponder legal pot," Sept. 25). He goes on to say that "marijuana is no more dangerous than eating fatty foods or drinking soda." As a health care professional with 20 years' experience treating drug addiction and alcoholism, I strongly disagree with his position. [continues 105 words]
Next month, California voters will consider the biggest change in drug policy since Congress made marijuana possession a criminal offense in 1937. Proposition 19, if passed, will not just legalize marijuana possession, it will empower municipalities to regulate and tax it. The state Legislature won't be able to stop it. Any community looking to avoid a property tax hike could open up its own cannabis revenue stream. Marijuana would still be against federal law, which would put the Obama administration in a quandary: Should they send an army of federal agents to enforce a law state and local police won't, or turn their backs and let Californians choose their own intoxicants? [continues 295 words]
Next month, California voters will consider the biggest change in drug policy since Congress made marijuana possession a criminal offense in 1937. Proposition 19, if passed, will not just legalize marijuana possession, it will empower municipalities to regulate and tax it. The state Legislature won't be able to stop it. Any community looking to avoid a property tax hike could open up its own cannabis revenue stream. Marijuana would still be against federal law, which would put the Obama administration in a quandary: Should they send an army of federal agents to enforce a law state and local police won't, or turn their backs and let Californians choose their own intoxicants? [continues 296 words]
The consensus thinking among libertarians is that the standard by which people should judge any law or government program is whether the benefits of that law or government program outweigh the costs associated with its enactment or enforcement. With that in mind, can anybody name for me any example from history when any government of any kind has ever been able to prevent its citizens from partaking of any vice by prohibiting that behavior? No? Then explain how the United States Federal Government intends to stop the use of a substance that can be routinely cultivated in an average person's closet. [continues 783 words]
The Word "Narcotics" Distorts The Drug Debate On Aug. 3, President Felipe Calderon of Mexico called for a national debate on the legalization of drugs. Shortly afterwards, former president Vicente Fox demanded the outright legalization of all drugs in order to remove the monopoly guaranteed to the drug trafficking organizations by the current state of prohibition. A year earlier, three other former Latin American presidents--Fernando Cardoso of Brazil, Cesar Gaviria of Colombia, and Ernesto Zedillo of Mexico--issued a report explaining why Latin American nations and the United States should abandon the "War on Drugs" and consider legalization as part of an initiative to begin treating drug use as a public health issue rather than a criminal issue. [continues 653 words]
Newton - State Sen. Cynthia Creem said she supports "the concept" of legalizing marijuana, provided more questions about revenue and regulation could be answered. Voters in Creem's district can cast votes in a nonbinding ballot question on Election Day asking if Creem should vote in favor of "legislation that would allow the state to regulate the taxation, cultivation and sale of marijuana to adults." "My position would be to see where my constituents were [with the issue]," said Creem. "I would hope that people would appreciate that there are more questions that go with it." [continues 699 words]
Voters in a number of Valley communities will have the opportunity to weigh in on some important marijuana-related issues on the Nov. 2 ballot. The state Elections Division has confirmed that four public policy questions supported by the marijuana reform group MassCann will be on the ballot in certain legislative districts, where organizers managed to collect the required number of petition signatures. While public policy questions are non-binding, they can serve as a useful way to gauge public sentiment on an issue, and to make it clear to legislators what issues matter to their constituents. [continues 315 words]
As many on campus have realized, marijuana use is hardly confined to a stereotypical "pothead" or stoner anymore. In the United States, at least, marijuana use is becoming more and more acceptable as larger numbers of people begin to support and argue for the legalization of the drug. As shown in recent polls conducted by Gallup and CBS News, 44 percent of all Americans believe that marijuana should be legalized - a whopping number compared to the roughly 25 percent that were in favor of legalization in the '90s. The new increase in legalization approval correlates with the number of people who are actually engaging in drug use - a number which, according to a recent survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, rose to its highest level in a decade last year. But why the newly relaxed attitudes? [continues 1791 words]
Should marijuana use be legal in Massachusetts? That polarizing question will be posed on the November ballot in Salem, Marblehead and Swampscott. Voters in about two dozen other communities will weigh in on similar proposals to legalize and tax marijuana. Even if it passes, however, don't expect pot laws in those towns and cities to change. "This will do nothing," admitted attorney Steven Epstein, the founder of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition. "This is non-binding. It is an opinion poll. ... That's all it is." [continues 1048 words]
FALMOUTH -- Possessing small amounts of marijuana has already been decriminalized, but could legalization be next? The idea might not be so far out, man. Voters in Falmouth precincts 1, 2, 5 and 6, as well as on Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, will weigh in on a nonbinding ballot question in November regarding legislation that would allow the state to regulate and tax marijuana in the same fashion as alcohol, said attorney Steven Epstein, a founder of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition. [continues 521 words]
The first random drug and alcohol tests began today at three firehouses in Boston, quietly ending a saga that became a flashpoint in a bitter labor dispute. Without warning, the randomly selected engine and ladder companies were visited by Occupational Drug Testing Inc., a private company that subjected 20 firefighters to instant-read breathalyzers and urine tests, which yield results in a few days after processing at a laboratory. The fire department declined to release the results of the breathalyzers, citing the privacy of the individuals who were tested. A source with knowledge of the screening said that everyone passed. [continues 454 words]
For at least a few moments Saturday afternoon, Keith Saunders couldn't stop to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the Boston Freedom Rally. Unlike the thousands of others who had gathered at Boston Common for a day of live music and hemp-assisted relaxation at the city's annual, massive rally in support of legalizing marijuana, Saunders had serious business to attend to. Just outside the tent belonging to the rally's organizers, the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, Saunders was organizing the festival's long list of speakers, made up of medical marijuana patients, prominent activists and at least one notable name in governor's race candidate Jill Stein. [continues 450 words]
Thousands swarmed Boston Common yesterday afternoon, participating -- to various degrees -- in a rally advocating legalization of marijuana that featured live music and speakers, including Green-Rainbow gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein. The 21st Annual Boston Freedom Rally, sponsored by MassCann, the state's chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, was the second since the loosening of Massachusetts marijuana laws in January 2009. The new law makes possession of up to an ounce of the drug punishable only by confiscation and a $100 fine. Under the former law, violators faced up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $500, and the listing of the offense on their criminal record. [continues 520 words]
SALEM - Heroin distribution charges against two Lynn men were dropped Wednesday after a judge determined the stop and search of a vehicle was illegal. [name1 redacted], 19, of [address redacted], and [name2 redacted], 23, of [address redacted], both of Lynn, were charged with trafficking over 14 grams of heroin in connection with their arrest on Dec. 14, 2009. Defense lawyers Raymond D. Buso and David Grimaldi challenged the search and seizure of the heroin found in a vehicle during the preliminary trial motion. [continues 119 words]
Seekonk State Rep Candidates Agree on Most Issues SEEKONK - The two Republican candidates for state representative in the Seekonk area both said Thursday they support the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes. David Saad and Steven Howitt said they have seen family members suffer with cancer and eye disease, so they support medical marijuana, which has been legalized in some other states. "I would not see a problem with medical marijuana," Howitt said during a debate taped for airing on local cable Channel 9. [continues 497 words]
If you choose to partake, at least do it right The leaves are changing color, and it's not because you ate a special mushroom pizza. The air is crisp, the nights are getting longer, and you're drinking coffee at 4 am. It's fall, and time to go back to school. Before you set up your new MacBook and stake out your dorm room claim, take a moment to educate yourself on the local drug scene. You don't want to get kicked out of a head shop, land in the local lock-up, or buy crappy drugs. [continues 1323 words]
Two years ago, we warned that approval of a ballot question decriminalizing the possession of "small" amounts of marijuana would be likely to erode respect for the law, hamper efforts to intervene in the lives of young people for whom marijuana is a gateway drug, and would not realize any savings. Shortly after the ballot question was approved, many communities addressed loopholes in the law by making it a civil infraction to smoke marijuana in public. We advised them not to bother. The main fight had already been lost, and the costs of enforcement would exceed revenue that might be collected. [continues 280 words]
Gambling may have been the vice du jour in the last legislative session but changing attitudes toward marijuana and a flawed law designed to regulate its use may give casinos some competition on the trespasses agenda when the next session begins in January. Police are justifiably frustrated with a 2-year-old pot law that is proving to be as flimsy as rice paper and have asked the state Legislature to fix the problem. The law was approved by voters in 2008 and decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Whereas being caught with less than an ounce of pot used to carry a maximum penalty of six months in jail and a $500 fine, the new law established a civil fine of $100. [continues 369 words]
BROCKTON - The confiscation of a 700-pound haul of marijuana Monday by Abington police has sparked local debate about the drug's legality. The consensus of opinion among a dozen area residents interviewed outside Westgate Mall in Brockton on Friday was generally that pot is no big deal and should be legalized at least for medicinal purposes. Derick Depina, 22, said he thinks legalization would lead to a reduction in local crime. "In this city, there's a lot of disputes between gangs," with much of the reason being marijuana, said Depina, who grew up in Brockton and now lives in Middleboro. [continues 203 words]
Inside Massachusetts
