cannabisnews.com: Boxford Faces Question on Marijuana Law





Boxford Faces Question on Marijuana Law
Posted by CN Staff on November 02, 2002 at 17:06:13 PT
By Jason B. Grosky, Staff Writer
Source: Salem Evening News
Boxford -- Unfortunately for Nicholas Ahern, he wasn't caught with pot by Boxford Police Chief Gordon Russell. The 19-year-old carpenter paid $2,500 in fees and spent six months on probation after Merrimac Police busted him for marijuana possession in January. Eleven miles down the road in Boxford, Russell has essentially made marijuana possession a civil offense. For 32 years, he has not made a single arrest based solely on marijuana possession. 
Instead, he's taken down the offender's names for in-house records, seized the drug or tossed it to the "four winds" and let the person go on his way.The 55-year-old chief supports making marijuana possession a civil offense in Massachusetts: something Boxford voters living in Precinct 2 will get to weigh in on at the polls next week. The question is also being posed to voters in the 1st, 2nd and 18th Essex voting districts.The non-binding ballot question asks voters to support "decriminalizing" marijuana, where offenders would get a fine instead of facing a judge. Saves time, money Supporters say changing the law would save millions in costs to law enforcement, the court system, jails and forensic drug labs.Decriminalizing marijuana would save Massachusetts at least $24.3 million in annual law enforcement costs alone, according to a report released last week by Jeffrey Miron, an economics professor at Boston University. The report was commissioned by the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts, which seeks alternatives to current drug policies.Board member Michael Cutler said decriminalizing marijuana would effectively cut out the middle man and stop wasting time. He said the majority of people arrested for marijuana possession go through the booking procedure and then the court system to reach the same end -- a ticket."Let's cut to the chase: pay the fine and be done with it," said Cutler, a Brookline lawyer.Stephen Epstein of Georgetown, founder of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition Inc., said, "You don't have to be a marijuana smoker ... to realize our tax dollars are far too precious to be spent on paying for a police officer to be booking, writing reports and possibly appearing in court on a marijuana offense. The officer should be out there patrolling."For his part, Russell said he does not like seeing people "jammed up" years down the road for something that happened in their youth. He sees marijuana no differently than other potentially dangerous substances that are legal, namely alcohol, tobacco and even junk food.Should be a crime Opponents say softening the law will cause more people to experiment with marijuana, characterized as a "gateway" drug to harder-hitting narcotics like cocaine and heroin.District Court Judge Kevin Herlihy is against softening the marijuana laws. He regularly deals with drug addicts through his "drug court" program, which works toward getting people clean and out of trouble.Weakening the law will make access to marijuana that much easier for teenagers, with little consequence, he said."There are a lot of young kids around here fooling around with that stuff. If all they have to do is mail in a $50 ticket, that's not going to stop them from using the drug," said Herlihy, a judge for 17 years now sitting in Haverhill and Newburyport district courts.Lawrence Police Chief John Romero is also against decriminalization. He believes changing the law would hinder police, not benefit them."So what? We're saying because it's not a serious crime we should take it off the books?" he said. "It's just as important to deal with the minor violations as the serious crime."Punishment and politics Under decriminalization, trafficking and selling marijuana would remain a crime. Beyond Massachusetts, the governments of England and Canada are pushing toward decriminalizing marijuana in 2003.Right now, first-time marijuana offenders like Ahern from Merrimac often end up having their cases continued without a finding, which means a person's record is wiped clean if he follows probation terms for six months.Marijuana possession carries a maximum penalty of two years in jail and a $2,000 fine. A person could also have his or her driver's license suspended for up to five years and lose other privileges, such as federal student loans.The decriminalization question was on the ballot in four voting districts in 2000, and passed each time with more than 60 percent of the vote. It got 62 percent approval in the 4th Essex District and state Rep. Bradford Hill, D-Ipswich, agreed to file a bill to decriminalize the drug.Hill said the same bill is still being "studied in committee," which he said is "a way to kill a bill.""I don't think the Legislature right now has the appetite to make these changes," Hill said. "If public safety officials, the DA's offices and police chiefs thought (softening the law) would make the world a better place, I think we would see changes."The decriminalization question is on the ballot in 19 districts this year.Source: Salem Nightly News (MA)Author: Jason B. Grosky, Staff WriterPublished: November 2-3, 2002 Copyright: 2002 Essex County NewspapersWebsite: http://www.salemnews.com/Contact: http://www.salemnews.com/sdaily/email.htm#EditorRelated Articles & Web Site:MassCannhttp://www.masscann.org/ Ballot To Include Pot Question http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13903.shtmlS. Shore Voters To Face Pot Questionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13900.shtmlMarijuana Questions On Ballothttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13760.shtml
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Comment #1 posted by afterburner on November 02, 2002 at 17:59:45 PT:
Due Process?
I remember when Ypsilanti was in the same relationship with Ann Arbor. The patchwork quilt of local and state laws makes America the Land of the Free, but too often police chases and run, rabbit, run, are the result of uneven community standards. Hey, hey, ho, ho, prohibition has got to go.Don't give me that ""gateway"" nonsense. The Nolin Canadian Sentate report refuted that old chestnut. I remember when they used to say that LSD would cause genetic damage, which would lead to birth defects. So, where are they? The poor, unfortunate thalidomide children have grown into adults; the FDA did not do a very good job of safe-guarding the victims or their parents. Life goes on. But where are the mutant LSD maniacs, the cannabis-poisoned dead?ego destruction or ego transcendence, that is the question.Save money, save lives, save the government. Decriminalize, and be wise. Legalize, and be wiser, tax inflow.
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