Sep 17, 2008 5:55 pm US/Eastern
Pot Ballot Question Sparks Heated Debate In Mass.
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Both supporters and opponents of ballot Question 2, which if approved, would reduce the penalty for those caught with less than an ounce of marijuana, stated their case in Boston on Wednesday.
Question 2 would make possession of small amounts of pot a civil offense, rather than a criminal one.
If the question is voted into law this November, anyone 18 years or older who is found with less than an ounce of marijuana will be fined $100. Those under the age of 18 will have to complete a drug awareness program and their parents or legal guardians would be notified.
There are more serious penalties for those who do not pay or attend the programs.
"Marijuana remains illegal," said Question 2 supporter Whitney Taylor. "We are just changing the way we are punishing that crime."
The state's 11 district attorneys, the Mass. Chiefs of Police, the Mass. Sheriffs, Gov. Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Tom Menino and Mass. Attorney General Martha Coakley are among the many officials that
oppose the measure.
They
argue the decriminalization of marijuana would increase the use and availability of the drug.
Officials also argue it would send a message to young people that smoking pot is normal behavior.
Opponents say the ballot question benefits drug dealers and dangerous criminals, because it enables drug dealers to operate free from the threat of criminal prosecution.
"I'm not sure what proponents were smoking when they brought this to our state," said Cambridge minister Rev. Jeff Brown.
Supporters of the question, including John Halpern, M.D., the assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Mass. State Sen. Patricia Jehlen and Mass. State Representative Frank Smizik, say by voting the ballot question into law, Massachusetts would save $29.5 million per year in law enforcement resources that are used on low-level marijuana possession arrests.
"Eleven other state, including New York and Maine, have passed this law," Taylor said. "They have not seen an increase in marijuana use."
Supporters also argue that approval of the measure would remove the threat of a
Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) report for minor
marijuana possession charges.
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