William Delahunt - who once vowed as a lawman to hit pot peddlers "where it hurts" - is looking to enter the multi-million dollar medical marijuana business by opening three dispensaries, saying he changed his tune after hearing testimony from pain sufferers who get relief from weed. "No one has ever died of a marijuana overdose," said Delahunt, a former Norfolk County district attorney and congressman who joined a team of doctors to create the nonprofit Medical Marijuana of Massachusetts. The group is seeking three of the 35 licenses set to be handed out by the Department of Public Health by Jan. 31. [continues 313 words]
The cigarette police used to cloak their campaign to ban smoking in the concern for innocent victims of secondhand smoke. But with the decision by the city of Boston to ban all smoking in public parks - including ecigarettes, which pose no threat to non-smoking bystanders - - that facade has really fallen away. "There is no known safe level of exposure to secondhand smoke, and secondhand smoke exposure in certain outdoor areas has been found to pose a significant health risk," the ordinance approved by the Boston City Council reads. [continues 176 words]
The disgraced former state drug lab chemist at the center of the state drug lab scandal that resulted in more than a 1,000 criminal cases being dismissed has been sentenced to three to five years in prison. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Carol S. Ball accepted Annie Dookhan's guilty plea during a hearing today. Dookhan, 36, of Franklin, mishandled evidence and faked test results at the state drug lab in Jamaica Plain. She pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice, perjury and tampering with evidence. [continues 138 words]
A Herald opinion piece by the editors of the Arizona Republic says that state's medical marijuana law "opened the door to abuse" ("Lessons from Arizona on pot law," Nov. 15). That's in part because, the editors argue, medical marijuana is being offered to young men on the basis of a "subjective and unprovable assertion" of chronic pain. So, patients are supposed to "prove" their pain; but how are they supposed to do that? Rather than making such a ridiculous requirement, how about if we legalize marijuana for all adults - so no one has to prove they're sick or apologize for being well or face arrest for enjoying a drug safer than alcohol or tobacco. Prohibition is the "abuse"; let's not stand for it anymore. - - Andy Gaus, Boston [end]
Keeping an inherently dishonest program honest is no easy task. The Arizona Department of Health Services got that job in 2010 when voters bought into one of the biggest cons around and narrowly approved "medical" marijuana. So-called medical-marijuana laws are more about normalizing a recreational drug than getting medical treatment to sick people. It is true that marijuana appears to provide relief from symptoms of some ailments or side effects from other medical treatment. But Arizona's medical-marijuana law did not produce a time tested way for those patients to access a dose-controlled, legitimate pharmaceutical product. It opened the door to abuse. If you doubt that, just ask yourself what other medically prescribed pharmaceutical is sold through special "dispensaries" instead of at the drug store. A law that authorizes those who claim chronic pain - a subjective and unprovable assertion - to buy generous doses of an otherwise illegal recreational drug is a farce. [continues 204 words]
Dr. Robert Petrella argues in the Herald that marijuana isn't "harmless" ("Don't let the genie out of the bag," Oct. 6). Those of us who advocate for a regulated, above-ground cannabis market agree. However, concerns about relatively limited health risks do not validate the substance's continued criminalization. Just the opposite. There are numerous adverse health consequences associated with alcohol, tobacco, and prescription pharmaceuticals - and it's precisely because of these consequences that these products are legally regulated and their use is restricted to particular consumers and specific settings. [continues 82 words]
The (marijuana) genie is already out of the bag and has beenfor decades ("Don't let the genie out of the bag," Oct. 6). Now, I couldquibble with Robert J. Petrella's claims in the Herald of pot's risk. ButWilliam F. Buckley Jr. nailed it nine years ago when he wrote, "although thereis a perfectly respectable case against using marijuana, the penalties imposedon those who reject that case, or who give way to weakness of resolution, arevery difficult to defend." As for the claims regarding the "signal" that legalizingmarijuana would send to children, the "2011 Massachusetts Youth Risk BehaviorSurvey," published in 2012, reports a statistically significant decrease in usebefore the age of 13. Steven S. Epstein, Georgetown [end]
Regarding Dr. Robert Petrella's opinion piece, there is a big difference between condoning marijuana use and protecting children from drugs ("Don't let the genie out of the bag," Oct. 6). Decriminalization acknowledges the social reality of marijuana and spares users criminal records. What's really needed is a regulated market with age controls. As long as violent drug cartels control marijuana distribution, consumers will come into contact with hard drugs like cocaine and heroin. Therefore, marijuana prohibition is a "gateway drug" policy. Separating the hard and soft drug markets is critical. - - Robert Sharpe, Washington, D.C. The writer is policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy. [end]
Medical Marijuana Entrepreneurs Seek Out Unusual Backers Shut out of traditional bank loans, budding entrepreneurs who want to sell medical marijuana in Massachusetts have been forced to get seed money from a host of unconventional sources - from restaurant and nightclub owners to friends and family, landscapers and even former legislators. A Herald review of the 181 applications for 35 licenses to sell marijuana reveals financial commitments from a hodgepodge of sources. Marijuana is still illegal in the eyes of the federal government, meaning banks can't issue small business loans, which are federally backed, to pot store owners. [continues 357 words]
The average young person is far more aware of marijuana's illegality than its ill physical and psychological effects. My political leanings are libertarian. On most days, I bemoan our society's slide toward the nanny state and the continual erosion of our individual liberties, privacy, and personal autonomy. But on the issue of drug legalization, I stand firmly with the advocates of tough anti-drug laws, and I was upset by the recent Department of Justice decision allowing states to decriminalize marijuana use. Here's why: [continues 505 words]
The Department of Public Health reported yesterday 158 of the 181 applicants vying to open 35 medicinal pot dispensaries across the state have advanced to the next phase of the competition. Though the rejected applications "were denied for a wide variety of reasons," DPH said 22 were eliminated based, in part, on their lack of nonprofit status or financial viability, while one applicant simply withdrew. "This is a very competitive process, and we required applicants to meet high standards to advance," DPH Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett said. "We are fortunate that Massachusetts has a large field of serious applicants who are capable of making a significant investment to benefit qualified patients and safeguard communities. [continues 157 words]
The 2013 Boston Rally for Freedom, more commonly known as "Hempfest," kicked off yesterday and will continue into this afternoon on Boston Common after city officials tried to deny a permit for the annual festival. Boston officials refused to permit the event just eight days before it was scheduled to begin, according to organizers of the two-day festival. MassCann, the organization behind the event, sought an injunction in court and, after a hearing on Friday, was granted a permit with a shortened schedule, just a day before the event was to start. [continues 74 words]
I object to the characterization that the state has "bungled" the process of registering medical marijuana dispensaries ("State keeps pot plans on down low, Aug. 23). From January to May, the state Department of Public Health solicited input through a series of hearings around the state that gave stakeholders many opportunities to weigh in with any concerns. I am a medical marijuana patient suffering from a type of severe chronic nerve pain that is resistant to treatment by standard medications, but responds to medical marijuana. I understand that some local officials have questions about their role in regulating the dispensaries, but that does not mean that the process is moving forward too quickly. In fact, for patients like me who are still suffering without safe access to our medicine, it cannot move forward quickly enough. [continues 56 words]
Selling medical marijuana in the Hub may mean more permits, more inspections and pot deliveries to your door. The Boston Public Health Commission is pushing for more power to oversee the pot law just now rolling out. "It's an added layer of security," Boston Public Health Commission Executive Director Dr. Barbara Ferrer said about the commission's desire to add extra rules to the state-regulated industry. "In a city of this size, the local authorities want to be sure they can inspect the dispensaries too, because the state inspectors have to cover the entire state." [continues 185 words]
Ex-Lawmakers Among Applicants The Bay State's prospective pot peddlers include doctors, lawyers, former Beacon Hill lawmakers and the owner of a hemp clothing boutique - - just some of the 181 applicants feverishly competing to open the newly legal dispensaries in what experts predict will be a $1 billion industry. "We've been in the cannabis field longer than anyone else here in Massachusetts," said Jonathan Napoli, who owns The Hempest, a hemp clothing shop on Newbury Street and in Harvard Square. "We're local players. We're not coming in from Colorado or California or anything." [continues 377 words]
Details Hazy Amid Rush for Permits Eight months after the state's controversial medical pot law took effect, the panel that's supposed to approve marijuana dispensaries still hasn't been seated - leaving city and town officials dazed and confused about where to turn. The bungled launch comes as state officials are poised today to reveal the more than 100 groups lining up to open dispensaries in what experts estimate will be a $1 billion-a-year business. Officials expect the first dispensary to open in four to six months. [continues 430 words]
Dispensary Hopefuls to File by Thursday People who want to open medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts have until Thursday to hand-deliver their initial application to the state Department of Public Health. "The Department has created a solid regulatory framework for this new industry, and now we are ready to move forward with the competitive application process," DPH Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett said in a press release. "We are committed to a fully transparent process that respects patient needs, while ensuring safe communities." [continues 266 words]
The starting gate flew open yesterday in the race to claim the Bay State's planned 35 medicinal marijuana outlets, with a sprint to the Aug. 22 finish line promising a multi-milliondollar prize. But small-business people like Tewksbury's Robert O'Hearn say they have been nudged out of the process because of the big bucks state officials are demanding long before applicants know if they'll be selected. "I'm out," said O'Hearn, who owns a small construction company. "The state made it impossible for a regular person ... It's a big risk, too big for any normal person to get involved." [continues 244 words]
Seeks IT Program to Track Medical Weed Medical marijuana is about to become a high-tech endeavor in Massachusetts, with the state exploring the acquisition of what is likely to be a multimillion-dollar IT program to monitor the so-called seed-to-sale production, transport and handling of what will continue to be a controlled substance. The state is soliciting for consultants to advise regulators of the state's new medical marijuana industry on how long it would take, and how much work would be required, to build a computer software system to handle "the Medical Marijuana Systems Project," according to a state Executive Office of Health and Human Services request for information. [continues 318 words]
WASHINGTON (AP) - It took 50 years for American attitudes about marijuana to zigzag from the paranoia of "Reefer Madness" to the excesses of Woodstock and back to the hard line of "Just Say No." The next 25 years took the nation from Bill Clinton, who famously "didn't inhale," to Barack Obama, who most emphatically did. And now, in just a few short years, public opinion has moved so dramatically toward general acceptance that even those who champion legalization are surprised at how quickly attitudes are changing and states are moving to approve the drug - for medical use and just for fun. [continues 154 words]
States like Colorado and Washington have recently legalized marijuana, while other states permit medical marijuana and countless jurisdictions have decriminalized marijuana and focused law enforcement resources on preventing dangerous and violent crime ("U.S. takes libertarian turn on gays, guns, pot," June 18). Yet the federal government continues to waste taxpayer money circumventing these local laws by prosecuting and intimidating citizens as part of the failed war on drugs. Regardless of one's beliefs on the wisdom of legalizing or decriminalizing marijuana, many agree that these decisions should be left up to states and cities who understand how to prioritize law enforcement in their communities. A recent Gallup poll found that 64 percent of Americans want the federal government to stop harassing people in states where marijuana is legal. At the U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting this month, the area's mayors should support a resolution to stop wasting resources arresting people who abide by state and local laws. - - Ben Gleason, Cambridge [end]
Jamen Shively , a 45-year-old former Microsoft manager, wants to build a cannabis empire in Washington state, where pot was legalized last fall, saying he was tired of waiting for a green light from the Obama administration, which still hasn't said how it will respond to the legalization of recreational pot in Washington and Colorado. Shively vowed to quickly raise $10 million and eventually build his company, Diego Pellicer, into an international pot powerhouse. - -Staff and Wire reports. [end]
Are Americans becoming more libertarian on cultural issues? I see evidence that they are, in poll findings and election results on three unrelated issues - marijuana legalization, same-sex marriage and gun rights. Start with pot. Last November, voters in the states of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize marijuana, by a 55 to 45 percent margin in Colorado (more than Barack Obama's margin in the state) and by 56 to 44 percent in Washington. In contrast, California voters rejected legalization 53 to 47 percent in 2010. These results and poll data suggest a general movement toward legal marijuana. [continues 606 words]
Build Ties to Beacon Hill At least eight medical marijuana business owners and three pot advocacy groups have hired some Bay State lobbyists to forge connections on Beacon Hill as the infant weed industry starts to take root. Dan Delaney, former strategic director for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health - the agency that oversees medical marijuana - is on the payroll for four pro-pot groups, including Berkshire Medicinal, Middlesex Integrative Medicine, The Greeneway and The TIMA Trust. "I'm not doing any lobbying on the Department of Public Health side but trying to help people interpret what the regulations mean," said Delaney, who has also worked for medical marijuana businesses 840 Group and New England Kind Clinic. [continues 282 words]
I am one of the 72 percent of Americans who recognize "government efforts to enforce marijuana laws cost more than they are worth" ("'Correcting' pot law," May 19). That's according to a recent Pew Research Center report titled "Majority Now Supports Legalizing Marijuana." The Massachusetts law passed by voters at the ballot box last fall is horrendously flawed, but not for the reasons advanced in your editorial. The flaw is that it did not repeal the unwholesome and unreasonable, and therefore unconstitutional, prohibition on the cultivation of the marijuana plant and replace it with the least restrictive means to keep marijuana away from children. - Steven S. Epstein, Georgetown [end]
Pot proprietors seeking to open a medical marijuana shop will have to pony up at least $83,000 in fees, according to new rules proposed by state health officials. The Department of Public Health expects to collect more than $3.9 million from pot shops and patients in the first year and is looking to create a Medical Marijuana Trust Fund to keep the revenue, acting Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett said in a letter this week to Secretary of State William Galvin. [continues 222 words]
There was a moment of truth following the recent adoption of new medical marijuana regulations when Heidi Heilman of the Massachusetts Prevention Alliance said, "The Department of Public Health tried their best, but they can't rewrite the statute." This hideously flawed piece of legislation, which gives the marijuana industry a major toehold in the state, will surely come back to haunt us if the Legislature refuses to give it a second look. For example, the Massachusetts Medical Society still isn't pleased with the definition of the doctor-patient relationship outlined in the new regs. Their aim is to prevent some doc-for-hire attached to a marijuana dispensary from handing out "prescriptions" for a fee. It's not at all clear these regs will prevent that. [continues 217 words]
Rules governing the sale of medical marijuana in the Bay State adopted yesterday by the state's Public Health Council left proponents wishing for more flexibility and opponents worried that the new regulations, effective May 24, may invite abuse. Heidi Heilman of the Massachusetts Prevention Alliance said the law passed by voters last November was fatally flawed in ways council regulations could not repair. "We've essentially legalized marijuana under the guise of medicine, without any of the regulation." For instance, Heilman said, the 10-ounce limit would not prevent concentrated forms with hundreds of thousands of times more impact. [continues 264 words]
Proposed Pot Rule Says Startups Must Have $500g Say hello to Big Weed, medical marijuana critics say - mom-and-pop startups are likely to be shut out in the Bay State, thanks to a proposed state provision that requires prospective pot peddlers to put $500,000 in escrow. "Those small mom-and-pop shops that wanted to open a clinic for suffering people, they don't stand a chance," said medical marijuana critic Heidi Heilman, blasting what she called the big business behind the so-called "compassionate care" effort. [continues 311 words]
Attorney General Martha Coakley last week ruled that cities and towns can't ban marijuana dispensaries within their borders under the state's voter-approved medical marijuana law. The ruling doesn't come as a surprise from a legal standpoint - Coakley noted that such bans would, if adopted by all 351 cities and towns, prevent the "reasonable access" authorized in the new law -but it does highlight the need to introduce some sense into these breakneck proceedings. And for the record, it is not too late to ensure that reasonable public protections are in place. [continues 197 words]
A Bay State business group that has filed corporation papers to set up labs to analyze marijuana has hired lobbyists who are working with a legislator, pushing a bill that would make the group's services mandatory for anyone selling medicinal pot. Dorian DesLauriers, a Franklin entrepreneur, said he incorporated five companies and formed a medical marijuana advocacy group in the four months since Bay State voters legalized medical marijuana to get "a slice" of what he says is a booming business. [continues 357 words]
Massachusetts should take the steps it can to repeal the prohibition of marijuana and replace it with a law that punishes the selling or gifting of marijuana to children (Feb. 19). Freed from prohibition, the cultivation of and commerce in cannabis (marijuana, fiber, hurd and seed) would be taxed and take place in a manner in accordance with other generally applicable law. Some will rant about the supposed dangers. But what the ranters reject is the self-evident truth at the heart of the dispute: That we are all created equal and endowed with the right to live our lives as we choose, so long as our choices are not the cause of injury to others. - - Steven S. Epstein, Georgetown [end]
The medical marijuana concerns raised by the Massachusetts Medical Society do not justify throwing good money after bad policy (Feb. 19). If the goal of marijuana =93prohibition=94 is to subsidize drug cartels, it is a grand success. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to deter use, it is a catastrophic failure. The United States has double the rate of use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed cultural inquisition not an evidence-based public health campaign. =AD Robert Sharpe, Washington, D.C. The writer is a policy analyst with Common Sense for Drug Policy. [end]
Doctors - real doctors, the ones who actually are concerned about the welfare of their patients - have now raised some equally real concerns about the state's soonto-be implemented law on so-called "medical" marijuana. The head of the Massachusetts Medical Society, Richard Aghababian, raised all the right issues as he pleaded with state officials to think about the consequences of the ballot-approved measure which put Massachusetts on that slippery slope to de facto legalization with the approval of 35 pot shops. [continues 269 words]
Drag those bongs out of the closet and check out "perfect" pot brownie recipes at weedblog.com. The Marijuana Policy Project - the national group behind much of the recent loosening of marijuana laws and the big pushers of full-blown legalization last year in Colorado - has its sights set on New England in 2013. To legalize marijuana outright in Rhode Island and Maine. To decriminalize it in Vermont. To legalize medical marijuana in New Hampshire, where new Gov. Maggie Hassan, a Democrat, has voiced support. [continues 319 words]
Medical Officials Demand Marijuana Regulations Kids taking pot on a doctor's advice, stoned drivers causing roadway fatalities and deviant patients selling their weed for profit are just some of the worst-case scenarios that could spell disaster for the Bay State thanks to the vague new medicinal marijuana law, two top health groups are warning state officials. "This is an 800-pound gorilla," Richard Aghababian, president of the Massachusetts Medical Society, told the Herald yesterday. "We don't want to do any harm to our patients. But what if someone drives a car on marijuana, gets into an accident and kills people? That just multiplies the harm you've done to people." [continues 349 words]
As long as there is a demand for marijuana, there will be a supply ("Dumb idea No. 1," Jan. 3). Under the new Massachusetts law, it's true that healthy consumers will obtain "medical marijuana" recommendations in order to avoid purchasing pot from criminals. The medical recommendation allows consumers to purchase locally grown marijuana of known quality and safety from dispensaries that generate tax revenue. Is it somehow preferable that consumers purchase untaxed marijuana from violent drug cartels that also sell cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin? Marijuana may be relatively harmless, but marijuana prohibition is deadly. - -- Robert Sharpe, Washington, D.C. The writer is a policy analyst for Common Sense for Drug Policy. [end]
The Herald's editorial pointed out defects with the so-called "medical marijuana" law in Massachusetts ("Delay, to clear the smoke," Dec. 31). May I ask: Why did the people ask the government to get involved in this? Most of us know someone who has been smoking pot illegally for years without a problem. How about letting free markets come up with an appropriate product and pricing mix? - - Mike Franco, Holyoke [end]
Massachusetts voters may have enthusiastically approved the legalization of medical marijuana, but that hasn't stopped communities throughout the state from rushing to amend their zoning regulations to make sure marijuana dispensaries are banned or restricted in their towns. Although the law went into effect yesterday, the Department of Public Health has until May 1 to issue regulations for dispensaries. Meanwhile, some cities and towns are working to keep out dispensaries, or "pot shops" as they are often called. In Wakefield and Reading, the towns have already approved bans. [continues 170 words]
The voter-approved "medical" marijuana law now in effect is surely going to be the gift that keeps on giving. A number of communities have already rushed to ban dispensaries from setting up shop and a lot of folks are skeptical that the state Department of Public Health, which failed abysmally to regulate compounding pharmacies (a failure that claimed the lives of 39 people so far) and its own drug testing lab (putting several hundred criminals back on the street) might not be able to handle the regulation of pot shops. Gee, ya think? One thing we already know is that a lot of people will be making a lot of money peddling pot - among them Dr. Bruce Bedrick, CEO of MedBox Inc. which provides "consulting services and dispensing systems" for the weed, according to The Associated Press, and recently opened a Natick office. The MedBox "system" looks rather like a vending machine, but one only accessible to dispensary employees, he assures, so it won't be next to the Cheez-Its and Snickers machine - at least for now. The new law provides for 35 pot shops throughout the state, but Bedrick insists, "I would expect hundreds of people to apply for the (dispensary) licenses ultimately." Oh, happy day! [end]
The Legislature has rarely been shy about overturning voter initiatives when taxpayers have, say, voted themselves a tax cut. But when it comes to delaying a badly flawed law that will allow the opening of 35 pot shops peddling the weed to just about any one for any reason - well, you know, the deliberative process can grind slowly. Sen. John F. Keenan (D-Quincy) proposed - admittedly as time was running out on the legislative year - a delay in the ill-advised referendum authorizing the sale of so-called "medical" marijuana. We say so-called because the law was - surely by intent - so loosely drawn that all that is needed is the "recommendation" (doctors can't actually write a prescription for what remains an illegal drug under federal law) of a doctor who might even be an employee of the adjoining pot shop. How convenient, no? [continues 214 words]
It's going to take fresh thinking to address the scandal at the state drug lab without making Massachusetts budget woes even worse. Unfortunately, however, most of what we're seeing so far is the exact opposite: a business-as-usual approach, with an enormous (and growing) price tag. As soon as the state drug lab scandal broke, it became clear that the cost of reexamining thousands of cases would be huge. Early estimates caused sticker shock with numbers like $30 million or $50 million, to pay for courts, prosecutors, and public defenders to re-try thousands of cases based on tainted evidence. [continues 392 words]
The Bay State may not have fully inhaled legalized pot yet, but the courts are already getting a lungful - and today the Supreme Judicial Court will pass around a series of THC-laden appeals that test the limits of marijuana rights in Massachusetts, and how far cops can go when they encounter green leafy substances. When the smoke clears and the court's opinions are issued, they could "have a substantial chilling effect on our ability to keep our communities safe," predicted Wayne Sampson, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association. [continues 301 words]
The drug war is largely a war on marijuana smokers. At a time when state and local governments are laying off police, firefighters and teachers, this country continues to squander public resources criminalizing Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis. The end result of this ongoing culture war is not lower rates of use. The U.S. has higher rates of marijuana use than the Netherlands, where marijuana is legally available. Decriminalization is a step in the right direction. Legalizing marijuana would render the drug war obsolete. - -- Robert Sharpe The writer is a policy analyst at Common Sense for Drug Policy [end]
City and town leaders feeling burned by the state's new medical marijuana law are rolling out bans and restrictions to keep pot shops out of their neighborhoods. Wakefield and Reading banned dispensaries last week and Melrose held a public hearing to consider a similar law earlier this week. Peabody also is reportedly mulling a ban. Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo told the Herald he plans to introduce a proposal Wednesday to keep medical marijuana stores near hospitals. They're all rushing to beat the Jan. 1 pot law. [continues 374 words]
It is encouraging to see that Americans are finally seeing the failure of this decades old catastrophe called "the war on drugs" ("Will for drug war weakens," Nov. 16). This war on American citizens violates every amendment of the Bill of Rights. This is just a repeat of the failed policies of alcohol prohibition. It has done little to reduce the use and availability of drugs, has clogged our courts and jails with mostly non-violent users, corrupted police and officials, and has turned our inner-city neighborhoods into war zones with shootouts over drug turf. The drug war has failed, time for a drug peace. - - Joe Genevich, Dorchester [end]
More than 40 years ago, the federal government launched a war on drugs. Over the past decade, the nation has spent hundreds of billions of dollars fighting that war, a figure that does not even include the high costs of prosecuting and jailing drug law offenders. It's hard to put a price on that aspect of the drug war since half of all inmates in federal prison today were busted for drugs. Despite the enormous expense and growth of the prison population, only 7 percent of American adults now think the United States is winning the War on Drugs. Some 82 percent disagree. The latest statistics on drug usage support that conclusion. [continues 365 words]
Right before Massachusetts voted in a landslide to decriminalize marijuana possession, prosecutors crusading against the evil weed confessed they'd smoked it. District Attorneys Dan Conley of Suffolk, Gerry Leone of Middlesex and Michael O'Keefe of the Cape all admitted to silly, youthful inhales. Yesterday, Worcester County DA Joseph Early hesitated when asked about young and irresponsible pot use. "I went to UMass," he said. "In the '70's." To which I replied, "Nuff said." Which helps make my point. The reefer-madness, sky-is-falling rhetoric used every time marijuana laws get challenged around here doesn't cut it anymore. Almost everybody knows former potheads who grew up to be upstanding citizens - even prosecutors. [continues 313 words]
Move Will Just Legalize Sale, Use Medical marijuana isn't just for old ladies with glaucoma anymore. If Massachusetts voters approve Question 3 on the ballot this Election Day, pot will be legal and accessible to all. Although the text of the initiative allows marijuana use only with doctor certification that the patient has a "debilitating medical condition" and "may benefit" from marijuana use, the proposal's terms are vague, subjective, and vulnerable to serious abuse. The text of Question 3 lists several "debilitating" conditions, such as Parkinson's Disease and AIDS. But the list is not exhaustive and explicitly includes "other conditions" - a catchall phrase that can, and will, be manipulated to include physical and emotional ailments from menstrual cramps to severe shyness. [continues 487 words]
