BOSTON -- A voter-approved law to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana goes into effect Friday, despite protests from law enforcement officials that they need more time and guidance from the state. The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security issued guidelines on the new law Monday, less than two months after 65 percent of voters approved the measure in a statewide referendum. On Friday, the law will make possession of one ounce or less of marijuana a civil offense, subject to a $100 fine like a traffic ticket. Offenders under 18 will be required to take a drug awareness program, or pay a $1,000 fine. [continues 815 words]
Officials Are Urging Cities And Towns To Ban Public Marijuana Smoking As Massachusetts prepares to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana on Friday, state officials are urging cities and towns to ban public pot smoking and assuring school administrators that students caught with the drug may still be disciplined. Guidelines issued Monday by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security also say that - as with marijuana - possession of an ounce or less of hashish may be reduced to a civil offense because its main psychoactive ingredient - THC - is the same as in marijuana. [continues 352 words]
Police officers should issue tickets, similar to a building code citation, to anyone possessing an ounce or less of marijuana, under an advisory released by the state yesterday recommending ways to manage the law decriminalizing possession of the drug. The law is effective Jan 2. Violators may appeal the citation - a civil infraction - in court within 21 days or pay the $100 fine set by the statute. Municipalities would be responsible for collecting the fines, according to the recommendations. With much confusion over how police should handle marijuana possession, ranging from enforcement measures to whether officers themselves can be punished for using the drug, the state's Executive Office of Public Safety and Security released the seven pages of guidelines hoping to set a clear standard before the law takes effect Friday. [continues 597 words]
BOSTON - Guidelines for a new Massachusetts law that ends minor marijuana arrests say the law may also apply to other drugs with the same psychoactive ingredient, such as hashish. The guidelines obtained Monday by The Associated Press say the law that takes effect Friday ends criminal penalties for possession of an ounce or less of THC-the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, hashish or hash oil. Voters passed a referendum in November that instead imposes a civil penalty of a $100 fine and forfeiture of the drug. [continues 96 words]
The voters of Massachusetts spoke clearly Nov. 4 on the topic of marijuana: They want simple possession treated as a civil infraction, more like a parking ticket than a serious crime, with a maximum fine of $100. Other laws involving marijuana stay in place, and those under 18 caught with less than an ounce of pot are required to attend a drug education course as well as pay the fine. The only ones unclear about what Question 2 intends are law enforcement officials who act like a civil violation is some radical idea no one ever heard of. District attorneys and police chiefs have been acting like it was all a big misunderstanding. Question 2 proponents "sold the public a pig in a poke, and the public bought it," Cape and Islands DA Michael O'Keefe said last week. [continues 504 words]
Guidelines for a new Massachusetts law that ends minor marijuana arrests say the law may also apply to other drugs with the same psychoactive ingredient, such as hashish. The guidelines obtained Monday by The Associated Press say the law that takes effect Friday ends criminal penalties for possession of an ounce or less of THC - the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, hashish or hash oil. Voters passed a referendum in November that instead imposes a civil penalty of a $100 fine and forfeiture of the drug. [continues 96 words]
BOSTON -- Guidelines for a new Massachusetts law that ends minor marijuana arrests say the law may also apply to other drugs with the same psychoactive ingredient, such as hashish. The guidelines obtained Monday by The Associated Press say the law that takes effect Friday ends criminal penalties for possession of an ounce or less of THC - the primary psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, hashish or hash oil. Voters passed a referendum in November that instead imposes a civil penalty of a $100 fine and forfeiture of the drug. [continues 96 words]
GROTON - Groton-Dunstable Regional School Committee members clashed last week when Chairman Paul Funch revisited recent disciplinary action taken against several high school students. Funch raised the subject unannounced, during the meeting's "questions and comments" segment, stating his belief that punishment meted out to the students was too harsh. Four high school students were recently caught on school grounds in possession of marijuana and were suspended until the end of the current semester. High School Principal Shelley Marcus Cohen had recommended expulsion for at least one of the students, but was later overruled by school Superintendent Alan Genovese. [continues 576 words]
Raynham - A new law decriminalizing the possession of a small amount of marijuana looked good on paper. But it will be hard to enforce, lead to privacy issues and pave the way for more widespread use of hard drugs, Police Chief Lou Pacheco said this week. "The situation is a mess - a complete mess," Pacheco said. Effective on Jan. 2, the law stems from the voter-approved ballot Question 2 that makes the possession of an ounce or less of marijuana a civil offense punishable by a maximum $100 fine for those 18 and older. [continues 232 words]
A voter-approved law reducing possession of small amounts of marijuana to a civil offense threatens to unravel drug testing of police and other public employees, the Herald has learned. The law, which goes into effect Jan. 2, prohibits government agencies and authorities from enforcing any punishment for pot possession with a fine greater than $100, according to the Massachusetts Police Chiefs Association, and defines possession so broadly as to include traces of pot in blood to urine to hair and fingernails. [continues 272 words]
Bill King's letter, "More Smoke With New Pot Law,"(Dec. 13) underscores the non-sensical reactions from the opponents of the decriminalization of marijuana in Massachusetts. King infers that decriminalization may attract pot-heads the world over to your state. I suggest that Mr. King and his hysterical ilk travel across the border to New York State where marijuana was decriminalized in the 1970s. Once there, look up and you will notice that the sky didn't fall, foreigners and out of state residents haven't flocked here to get high, and kids caught with pot in school get arrested. For the record, if you Google my name you will discover that I have been speaking out against "reefer madness" for many years. WALTER F. WOUK, Cobleskill, NY [end]
Newton - There's one more thing that partiers will be counting down to when they tick off the last few seconds until the New Year: the decriminalization of marijuana. Whether they supported the ballot question in November or voted against it, after midnight on Jan. 1, possessing an ounce or less of marijuana will be a civil offense punishable by a fine, rather than the possibility of jail time. Newton Police are still figuring out what that will mean for the city. [continues 682 words]
William G. Brooks III, deputy chief of police in Wellesley, asks in his recent article, "How did we get here?" with respect to the results of Question 2 on the Massachusetts ballot of 2008. The answer is law enforcement intransigence and recalcitrance forced drug law reform advocates to the initiative/referendum system in state after state. The bitterness and sour grapes at the end, however, reveal the true problem: "The system that brought about this change in our drug laws is flawed and the public was hoodwinked. Now law enforcement is left to deal with this mess." [continues 174 words]
Bridgewater -- The chief of the Bridgewater State College Police Department would like to get the word out - marijuana has not been legalized. It's not open the floodgates time. We will be enforcing the law," Police Chief David Tillinghast said. He said he's heard from multiple students there's a widespread misperception on campus the Nov. 4 ballot initiative decriminalizing possession of up to an ounce of marijuana legalized the drug. The difference is more than just academic, Tillinghast said. [continues 729 words]
LAWRENCE, Mass. - Miguel Tavera came to Lawrence last March, living with relatives and working several jobs so he could send money back to his wife and two young daughters in the Dominican Republic. But when the 27-year-old was laid off several months ago, he had to find another way to make money. He hooked up with two local drug dealers who offered to pay him to fly to the Dominican Republic and carry small, tightly-wrapped packages of heroin back into the country in his stomach. [continues 1081 words]
The Swiss government is now peddling heroin to its hard-core addicts. Since 1994, the Swiss government has used a heroin prescription program that enables doctors to provide heroin junkies with a strictly controlled dosage of heroin everyday. Shockingly enough, this program has succeeded in controlling the nation's drug problem beyond the government's wildest dreams. The Swiss pilot program--recently made permanent by a nationwide referendum on the issue--has saved the nation money, decreased crime rates, and halted the spread of infectious disease. [continues 638 words]
I am writing about the letters posted in the Dec. 8 issue regarding the column Deputy Chief William Brooks III wrote. Seven letters in total from around the country and only one backed the deputy chief. Wow. I wish there was this much passion about higher taxes, lowering government spending, the hypocrisy in government, and so on. The fact that these people believe that decriminalizing marijuana and that even one person questioned why it was illegal in the first place is mind boggling. Where does it end? [continues 217 words]
It doesn't matter if Deputy Chief William Brooks thinks the vote to decriminalize marijuana is crazy or not. His bosses, We The People, have spoken. His job, as their agent, is now to enforce the will of We The People. If he cannot accept, and protect, the right of an individual to possess a small portion of marijuana without entanglement in the criminal justice system, then he should get out of their way and resign. He has been told what his job is; he must now either quit griping and do it or step aside. I'm sure he would find a more congenial home in the DEA. Buford C. Terrell Professor of Law (retired) Stafford, Texas [end]
Bridgewater - Nathan Farias, a Bridgewater State College freshman, said he'd rather see drug use medicalized than criminalized. "In this country, we make users into outcasts and disenfranchise them. With this past election, I feel it was a step in the right direction," said Farias, 18, of Taunton. The Independent stopped by the Bridgewater State College campus center Monday to chat with students like Farias about their thoughts on the Nov. 4 ballot initiative that decriminalized possession of up to an ounce of marijuana. [continues 788 words]
BOSTON -- Last month, voters approved a statewide measure decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Now, wary authorities say, comes the hard part. They are scrambling to set up a new system of civil penalties before Jan. 2, when the change becomes law. From then on, anyone caught with an ounce or less of marijuana will owe a $100 civil fine instead of ending up with an arrest record and possibly facing jail time. It sounds simple, but David Capeless, president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association, said the new policy presented a thicket of questions and complications. [continues 813 words]
DANVERS -- The town has more than doubled the number of employees it will randomly screen for drugs and alcohol starting next year. "I am working to be proactive with our employees," Town Manager Wayne Marquis said in a recent interview. The number of employees who face the possibility of a random Breathalyzer test for alcohol or a urine test for drugs will go from 60 to 150, about half of the town's 300 employees, Marquis said. This expanded program does not include teachers, police officers or firefighters. [continues 289 words]
A Roxbury woman who says firefighters and police busted down her door last summer, ignoring her when she said they were at the wrong house, will air her concerns at a City Council hearing today. Shirley A. Hunter, 56, a professor of international accounting at Tufts University, was in the shower Aug. 9 when she heard her front door and exterior iron gate being pried open. She said she leaned out the window and told authorities, "You have the wrong house." [continues 258 words]
Representative Jim Ramstad, a Republican from Minnesota, is said to be a candidate for drug czar in the Obama administration. This would take bipartisanship one step too far, at the expense of public health. Ramstad, who is retiring after 18 years in office, gets high marks for working with a Democratic colleague, Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, to require insurers to cover mental health and addiction treatment (the two men are alcohol recovery partners). But Ramstad has also voted repeatedly against federal funding for needle exchange programs for drug users to fight the spread of HIV/AIDS. Washington's paralysis on this issue goes back to when President Clinton let his drug czar, Barry McCaffrey, sabotage funding efforts by Donna Shalala, then secretary of Health and Human Services. McCaffrey hyperbolically called clean-needle programs "magnets for all social ills." In 2002, Clinton admitted that "I was wrong" not to lift the funding ban. [continues 149 words]
Who is Stan White from Dillon, Col., to send in a letter "DARE should change it's tune" (letter, Dec. 12) talking about our state laws re: marijauna. If you google "Stan White Dillon, CO" you'll find he's an activist writing letters to many newspapers in support of using marijauna. If I recall correctly, his was not the first out-of-state letter on this issue in a local newspaper. However, most of the folks I know who voted to de-criminalize marijauna did it because a) they bought the message that marijuana arrests were unnecessarily clogging our courts, and b) because they didn't think a kid's life should be ruined with a felony for smoking a joint. But look at what's happened since - outside interests suddenly taking a shining to Mass. schools saying they don't know what to do (if smoking in the boys room gets you in trouble, why wouldn't smoking a marijuana cigarette?). [continues 100 words]
The Drug Enforcement Agency arrested six people Monday night in a major marijuana bust, authorities said. Tony Pettigrew, a spokesman for the DEA's New England office, said authorities recovered approximately 1,500 pounds of marijuana, and the investigation included the DEA, the Bellingham, Milford, Framingham and Massachusetts State Police. They were all charged with conspiracy to distribute narcotics and are scheduled to be arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Boston. [end]
Re: "A Day to Remember: Prohibition Isn't Forever", Dec. 5: Richard Evans understands the problem. It is prohibition, and it began when our Beltway politicians persuaded us that illegal drugs are more dangerous than legal drugs. But if that were true, airplane glue and gasoline, dangerous to kids' nervous systems, would be illegal. Also 200-proof ethanol and tobacco. Rather than debate the harm caused by drug "A" vs drug "B" vs drug "C", we should agree that no drug is free of risk, and debate whether prohibition is the best way to manage that risk. As Mr. Evans observes, our grandparents' generation decided 75 years ago that the answer was "no" for ethanol. Why should it be different today for other drugs? John Chase Palm Harbor, Fla. [end]
Following Question 2 overwhelming victory, our servants in law enforcement continue to question the people's wisdom in passing Question 2. This leads me to question theirs. They should have seen the tidal wave approaching. The success of nonbinding public policy questions around the state in four consecutive elections beginning in 2000 provided ample warning. Deputy Chief William Brooks blames out-of-state money (, SPEAK OUT: Weed is no longer a crime; how did we get here?, Nov. 29.) He says nothing of the free exposure opponents obtained for their position in all forms of media, such as his own OpEd submission. [continues 93 words]
Youth shouldn't use substances, yet one change that should occur (Will New Pot Law Mar School Drug Policies?, Dec. 9, 2008), is the way DARE discusses cannabis (marijuana) with youth. DARE-type cannabis propaganda, based on Reefer Madness lies and half-truths, will be less convincing making way for the truth concerning the plant. It will be unrealistic trying to convince youth that cannabis fries the brain when President-elect Obama's brain seems ok, and difficulty in teaching children that using cannabis will ruin someone's future, when government may no longer do so. The "new pot law" will hopefully "mar" antiquated and ineffective scare tactics, making room for policies utilizing truth which may result in helping youth better, in the future. After all, honesty is the best policy. Stan White Dillon, Colo. [end]
GROTON -- Parents upset over disciplinary action taken against their children by the administration brought their grievances before the Groton-Dunstable Regional School Committee in hopes of having the infractions expunged from their children's records. The action was spurred by a recent incident in which four high school students were caught with marijuana on school grounds. Subject to disciplinary review, they were subsequently suspended from classes until the end of the current semester. High School Principal Shelley Marcus Cohen had recommended expulsion for at least one of the students, but the expulsion was later overruled by Superintendent Alan Genovese. [continues 425 words]
I read with interest a telling missive by Norfolk County Anti-Crime Task Force Director, Deputy Chief William G. Brooks 3rd, "How weed was decriminalized" (Nov. 3), responding to a Massachusetts Election Day referendum and wonder about his outrage when ONDCP spends scarce taxpayer funds to promote his position despite what we know about the extravagances of drug war? Pointing the finger at well meaning philanthropy to help jump start what we now find is the will of your people, almost 70 percent, is the real travesty. Mr. Brooks, get used to it, the people have spoken and it is also the sentiment of America. [continues 86 words]
Sixty-five percent of us voted for passage of Question 2 and yet the district attorneys continue to question our wisdom? This leads me to question theirs. They should have seen the tidal wave approaching. The success of non-binding public policy questions around the state in four consecutive elections beginning in 2000 provided ample warning. Yet, sometimes, even though they do not mean to, they say things , such as Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz's reminding us that marijuana is still illegal and not available at Tedeschi's , that point the way to how marijuana should be controlled in our society. Marijuana should be available from licensed retailers who obtain it from licensed wholesalers, who obtain it from licensed producers, just like tobacco products and alcoholic beverages. Steven S. Epstein Georgetown [end]
State education and public safety officials face a cloudy future for schools' marijuana rules in the month before a new law that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of the drug takes effect. Some state education leaders are concerned the voter-approved Question 2 may have unknown consequences for school policies that punish marijuana possession. Tom Scott, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said the measure is silent on how it would affect existing state laws that give schools the right to suspend or expel students for marijuana possession, or whether it would undermine school policies banning the drug. [continues 632 words]
State education and public safety officials face a cloudy future for schools' marijuana rules in the month before a new law that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of the drug takes effect. Some state education leaders are concerned the voter-approved Question 2 may have unknown consequences for school policies that punish marijuana possession. Tom Scott, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said the measure is silent on how it would affect existing state laws that give schools the right to suspend or expel students for marijuana possession, or whether it would undermine school policies banning the drug. "That's a concern we have," said Scott, who noted the association asked for clarification from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, where attorneys are reviewing the matter, Scott said. Scott said schools have the ability to do things differently than other agencies - for example, schools can conduct locker searches despite privacy rights - and it's possible the same thinking will apply to how Question 2 affects schools' marijuana rules. [continues 865 words]
State education and public safety officials face a cloudy future for schools' marijuana rules in the month before a new law that decriminalizes possession of small amounts of the drug takes effect. Some state education leaders are concerned the voter-approved Question 2 may have unknown consequences for school policies that punish marijuana possession. Tom Scott, the executive director of the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, said the measure is silent on how it would affect existing state laws that give schools the right to suspend or expel students for marijuana possession, or whether it would undermine school policies banning the drug. [continues 943 words]
Deputy Chief William Brooks, thank you for writing the article that appeared in this weekend's edition of The Patriot Ledger ( " Weed is no longer a crime; how did we get here " , Nov. 29). Finally, someone with some sense spoke out against the topic. I think Massachusetts voters are crazy in their vote to allow use of pot for up to one ounce and I could not agree more with all of your comments. Wish they paid you $4,000 to do a commercial against this craziness. I am no prude but have nieces and nephews and care about their safety. Legalizing or decriminalizing something that is still illegal is just absurd. People high on pot are just as likely to create motor vehicle, boating and airplane accidents (as) drunk ones. Hopefully someday this could get repealed. Thank you for speaking out. Brad White Marshfield Hills [end]
Regarding William G. Brooks Speak Out, " Weed is no longer a crime; how did we get here " . It seems to me the better question is " How did a natural herb that has never been documented to kill a single person, become a criminalized substance ". Kirk Muse Mesa, Arizona [end]
Regarding William G. Brooks' Nov. 29 op-ed, there is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs. Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana use and frees users from the stigma of life-shattering criminal records. What's really needed is a regulated market with age controls. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. As long as marijuana distribution remains in the hands of organized crime, consumers will continue to come into contact with sellers of hard drugs like heroin. [continues 92 words]
Up here in Maine, cannabis has been decriminalized since 1977, the entire lifetime of every high school and nearly every college student here. According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, Maine's usage rate is less than 8 percent, while down in Massachusetts, you have a higher rate, as much as 12 percent. Your criminal statutes have produced more cannabis use than Maines decriminalization policy. Let's hope that with decriminalization, Massachusetts will also lower its usage rates. Cannabis is also much more expensive under criminalization. In Maine, you can get an ounce of cannabis for less than $200. The $300 difference in Massachusetts (millions in total) all goes to support criminals and violence. That money helps keep crime rates high, and job security for overstaffed police departments. Last time I checked, student college loans are not available to those who have any drug conviction. Those convicted of assault, rape, murder, etc. are welcome to Pell Grants. Congratulations to Steve Epstein and the people of Massachusetts for being smarter than self-serving politicians and bureaucrats. This was a rare chance to see democracy actually working. Dave Wilkinson Harpswell, Maine [end]
I wished to reply to a recent op-ed piece by Wellesley Deputy Chief of Police Brooks to the election results on Question 2, which was approved by almost two out of three voters on the question. The opinion expressed in the piece that the adult electorate was too stupid to know what they were voting for ( " they've been hoodwinked " ) is insulting to the voters. This opinion has appeared in other statements by the district attorneys and others disappointed in the election results. The majority of the electorate said to stop treating responsible adult users of cannabis as criminals. Why is it that public servants can tell their ultimate employers that their decision was faulty? Joseph Morgan Waltham [end]
Deputy chief of police William G. Brooks III begins singing dirges before evidence of any harm emerges. Brooks chants the reefer madness theme with the nerve of a burglar but offers no logical reason to believe what he says. It is sad to hear a fellow who made a career of invading pot smoker's privacy appeal to the desire to be left alone as an alibi for continuing a lunatic policy. Most cannabis users prefer not having a criminal record caused by a sadistic law. I suspect that Brooks real complaint is the loss of easy money cops make enforcing marijuana laws. Appearing in court, etc., earns police officers mega-buck rewards in overtime pay. That's why they lie about marijuana. Within a few months, the public will be irrevocably convinced that marijuana poses very little danger. If deputy chief Brooks wants a new mission, he can lead a crusade against teen drinking. Ralph Givens Daly City, Calif. [end]
MEXICO CITY - The number of people killed in Mexico by drug violence has more than doubled this year to nearly 5,400 people and 2009 could be even worse, Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said on Monday. The official death toll of 5,376 for the year so far is higher than media estimates and more than twice the 2,477 people killed in the whole of 2007. Most victims were rival drug gang members or police. Medina Mora said the surge in killings by drug gangs, who use gruesome tactics like beheading their victims and dumping bodies in public, would likely worsen next year as cartels fight each other and security forces over smuggling turf. [continues 131 words]
Your deputy chief of police in Wellesley needs to stop for a minute and imagine prohibition on alcohol instead of prohibition on marijuana. It's wrong for him to consider people like me criminals if we choose to smoke marijuana instead of drinking booze. Would he treat the users of alcohol as poorly as he does people who smoke marijuana? I don't think so. I think, then, he should realize that it should have been legalized years ago just as alcohol was. The trade in marijuana should be taxed and it's use should not be a reason for jail. DARRAL GOOD Shoreline, Wash. [end]
Following an overwhelming victory for Nov. 4's "Ballot Question 2," some district attorneys, law enforcement officers and editorial writers have questioned the people's wisdom. In doing so, they reveal their own failure since 2000 to participate in the normal legislative process. They should have seen the tidal wave approaching and worked with advocates and the Legislature in passing reform sooner, saving thousands from criminal charges we now know the people do not want to impose upon the marijuana users among us. [continues 685 words]
Inside Massachusetts
