cannabisnews.com: Voters to Give Input on Marijuana Issue 










  Voters to Give Input on Marijuana Issue 

Posted by CN Staff on November 03, 2002 at 17:43:09 PT
By Kimberly Atkins, Globe Staff Correspondent 
Source: Boston Globe  

Voters in some communities south of Boston will get a chance to voice an opinion on Tuesday about whether marijuana possession should be a crime. Boosted by a report finding that the state could save more than $24 million in police resources if marijuana possession was decriminalized, the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts has succeeded in placing a nonbinding question on ballots in parts of Quincy, Randolph, Norwood, Walpole, Hanover, Norwell, and Rockland, as well as some other communities statewide. 
The question asks whether the state representative from the voter's district should be instructed to vote for legislation to make possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana a civil infraction punishable only by maximum fine of $100. Currently, the law allows for criminal penalties, including jail time, parole and a fine of up to $1,000 for the first offense. Michael Cutler, an attorney and board member of the privately funded marijuana-decriminalization group, said that since cases of marijuana possession rarely result in prison sentences, decriminalization would save police department resources while reaching the same result. ''A pot smoker is going to get the same penalty,'' Cutler said. ''He's going to get fined. But we are cutting out the middleman and taking police out of courts for marijuana cases and putting them out on the streets to deter serious crimes.'' Cutler said most districts where the ballot question will appear were chosen because the group was able organize enough volunteers in those areas to collect the required 200 signatures of registered voters. Others, such as the 2d Norfolk District, were chosen based on legislators' anti-decriminalization positions. ''Representative Stephen Tobin has been pretty hostile to the idea of being smart on crime, as opposed to being tough on crime,'' Cutler said. Tobin, a Quincy Democrat, said decriminalizing marijuana would ''send a message that smoking pot is OK, it's not harmful, go ahead and do it.'' Tobin said it is important that police officers and judges retain the discretion to decide when criminal charges should be brought. Under current law, first-time offenders, especially teenagers, could be summonsed before a clerk magistrate for a hearing rather than being criminally prosecuted, he said. Habitual offenders can be given tougher penalties. He also said that the measure could lead to other decriminalization legislation. ''What's next, carving out an exception for dealers who only deal an ounce of pot?'' Tobin said. ''Where to you think people with an ounce of pot get it from?'' But Tobin said that if the question was overwhelmingly approved in his district, he would discuss it with his constituents. Randolph Town Clerk Brian Howard said he does not remember there ever being a nonbinding ballot question locally regarding marijuana decriminalization. But he said that such questions are a common method for interest groups trying to gauge public opinion and sway the votes of legislators. ''The hope is they get the impetus from the community to guide representatives to vote a certain way in some policy,'' Howard said. In the report released Oct. 23, Jeffrey Miron, an economics professor at Boston University, found that decriminalizing marijuana would save the state millions of dollars but would not lead to an increase in marijuana use. The study, sponsored by the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts, studied marijuana charges filed in Brockton and Barnstable courts. It concluded that eliminating arrests for mere marijuana possession would decrease the number of marijuana-related arrests by one-third. The result would be a reduction of criminal applications, and of enforcement and judicial resources, it found. Miron said he also studied marijuana use in the 11 states that have enacted laws decriminalizing marijuana, as well as in foreign countries where marijuana use is not a crime. ''The evidence is really very consistent,'' Miron said. ''There is not a detectable increase in marijuana use.'' But Tobin said that the effects of marijuana use, especially in youth, extend far beyond, leading to use of harder drugs and other poor decisions. ''We all know groups of people who never got their lives together,'' Tobin said. ''And we say, `That guy's problems began in childhood when he was a pothead.''' ''I think it's a bad idea,'' said Sergeant Patrick Glynn of the Quincy Police Department. ''Decriminalizing it would entice other people into the business of selling marijuana. One marijuana joint sells for approximately $5 on the street. It is very profitable.'' Glynn said that he doubts legalization would save resources in police departments, because marijuana use often leads to additional crimes, such as vandalism and auto accidents. ''It's a mind altering drug,'' Glynn said. ''You never know what a person who uses it is going to do.'' This story ran on page S1 of the Boston Globe on 11/3/2002. Source: Boston Globe (MA)Author: Kimberly Atkins, Globe Staff CorrespondentPublished: November 3, 2002Copyright: 2002 Globe Newspaper CompanyContact: letter globe.comWebsite: http://www.boston.com/globe/Related Articles & Web Site:MassCannhttp://www.masscann.org/Voters to Weigh in on Decriminalizing Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14642.shtmlBoxford Faces Question on Marijuana Law http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread14641.shtmlBallot To Include Pot Question http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13903.shtmlS. Shore Voters To Face Pot Questionhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13900.shtml 

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Comment #19 posted by DdC on November 04, 2002 at 12:05:08 PT
De-Criminalize? Say What? De-Criminalize?
Make less of a criminal? Less stigmatized? Less scapegoated? Less enslaved in cages? A Smidgen of N*****? Pothead Lite? Partial Criminals? Bottled insanity sold to crazy people...An ounce standing in this space gets you probation and a dog collar, over here whoopti do if your dying they turn a blind eye attached to a dead brain. Real Legalizers know it ain't Illegal, its a plant. While sheople think fascist Booze Korpses are gonna roll over like fido and play dead. With the Pharmaceutikillers and Pesticidalmaniacs eradicating rope to save the kids they morally rape as deterrents in juvi prison. So Pat and Jers Brand New Testament of the Fortune 700 Club steals the founders Deism and implant the fascist freaks of christiandom.. Just like the chemicals not mentioned in the cigarettes compared to organic cannabis. This ain't about that either according to rule 77, subsection B paragraph Q 4565578C of the bylaws. Babylon is falling and you want to Decriminalize healing? Reefer mad chicken littles with badges protecting their own sorry asses at the expense of the citizens and we should thank them for being so gracious. Deal with D.E.A.th who has no mercy and therefore No mercy for D.E.A.th! I won't barter with my Civil Rights, Compromise on Liberty or Sweatalk the elite for spare change to save people to stupid to pull a lever of their conscience in the voting booth. I ain't illegal, neither are my plants. If sick people find the herb, use it. But don't try and put your laws on my body. I've never waited for lawyers to help patients. To watch a loved one suffer needlessly for moral reasons is a bankrupt belief and not moral. Not ethical. Just greed and ignorance perpetuating it. The Separatist, idiots greedily chasing their own "legal tender" to invest in medicine to treat their loved ones and keep them from suffering if a cop says its ok? If its legal they won't suffer. Ronnies Altzheimers won't be treated cause Nancy Just Said No. Quit whining and demand what is yours. F*** the Bullies. (Really now, doesn't F*** look really stupid? Does anyone not know what that symbol means? Yet we pretend its "legal") Fire the Liars! Remove the Politicops.You want a filthy greasy mucked up system to "Legalize" competition, and let people process their own communities Maintenance and Transportation and Heat? With Apothecaries selling specific strains with knowledge of what ailment is sooted. Working dope in liquor stores or homegrown the same as homebrew. Not a commodity. Not illegal. It's Wrongly scheduled. Science and physics end the debate, why believe their living nightmare scare stories of DARE whorriors? Why fear their hallucination myths? Cannabis prohibition feeds the fascist who oppose the entrepreneurs. Internationalist who profit on sickness and crimes and wars, selling the chemicals in competition to cannabis. No debate. Compromising is as wrong as criminalizing.Feeding the hungry the most nutritionally complete food on the planet also "illegal" (Non psychoactive ditchweed is 99% of the eradications), and we should be fighting this like any political battle? Oh sure the auto klans are going to stop using strip mined steel and fossil fuels in exchange for hemp fiber grown as a border crop to keep the poisons off of the farmworkers. Oh they're ethical, it says so on their shingles. Nahas or Goerring or Ashcroft or Walleye. Buxh? Moral? Christians killing for purity? Ethnically cleansing hippies, gypsies and minorities, homeless herding. Conserving compassion for the International corporations with no allegiance to America. Importing hemp while exporting jobs. Boston Harbor is filling with Lipton. Don't get in the way with rules. Don't wine in public. Take it off this board. They have a great assessor called electronic mail...Try it "Real Legalizer"Welcome to Reality 
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http://www.angelfire.com/ca7/ddc/farmaceuticals.htmlD.E.A.th Deceptions 
http://www.angelfire.com/ca7/ddc/DEAth.html 
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Comment #18 posted by Toker00 on November 04, 2002 at 05:56:59 PT
Don't worry, FoM.
I know where mrherbalwarrier is coming from. I won't attack his enthusiasm.I have been working hard to spread the truth about Cannabis. I don't just stay on one angle. I use them all. My post was more of a testitmony, than a narrow minded alcohol/cannabis comparison.I understand your enthusiasm, mrherbalwarrior. But the 00 in my handle is NOT my IQ.Peace. Realize, then Re-Legalize.
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Comment #17 posted by DANA on November 04, 2002 at 05:15:56 PT
...everyone is dumb sometimes..
..'.cuase...'........ thats the way it is........I'll tell ya what really confirms that there are plenty of dumb people out there,,,,Im just saw the morning network news,and there was a segment on voting,and how we dont need to worry about any wrong votes in Florida!...nope,,they got these new touch screen voting machines.......I dont know about you,,but it seems to me that even a really dumb stupid idiot,,,would realize that a computerized voting terminal system,means that the powers that be will have the ultimate manipulation of the charade!...even an elementary hack could cause the computers to produce bogus results....and no one seems to be concerned,,in fact ,,stupid idiotic dumb people have been convinced that these new computer terminal polling machines,are a wonderful way to assure that their votes will be tallied in an error free,and foolproof manner!...too bad...it's not "foolproof",,,,millions of FOOLS will believe that their vote counted.....Computerized voting is a harbinger of the eminent final death of an already festering democracy!
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Comment #16 posted by The C-I-R-C-L-E on November 03, 2002 at 23:24:07 PT
Taking a deep breath
I find that if I have a fussy time communicating on the computer with someone, it's best to: Stop, take a deep breath, turn off the computer, sleep on it, wake up refreshed and get back to work, eat a few meals, let several months of exciting daily life pass and have many meaningful encounters with several other people over the same period of time...and by then I've forgotten about it.
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Comment #15 posted by FoM on November 03, 2002 at 23:12:43 PT
Words
See what I mean about words? I was taught a long time ago that it really isn't what a person says but how he says it that makes the difference. We should all be on the same side here I hope. All the points made have merit to me. I've looked at this issue because of different comments from every angle possible. 
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Comment #14 posted by canaman on November 03, 2002 at 22:58:48 PT
One more thing mrherbalwarrior
I don't know who you where refering to with the comment "Wow, some people are dumb" I only hope you didn't mean me or Toker00! Also you may not consider us what you call "real legalizers" and I don't really care. But next time make it constructive if you can or keep it to yourself! Thank-you in advance.
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Comment #13 posted by canaman on November 03, 2002 at 22:25:43 PT
Easy now mrherbalwarrior
We are on the same side now aren't we? Let me point something out to you. This is only meant as constructive criticism so don't take it wrong. There are many ways to fight this battle. Pointing out the hypocrisy of the 'war on some drugs' is one of them. You may not think so and that's o.k. One thing I've noticed while I've been here is the attempt to lift each other up. Now I don't quite understand your point when you say "don't talk about how its better then some other drug" I ask why not? I believe it's better and safer than most all other drugs. Why not point out the hypocrisy? Exposing the hypocrites is one of our greatest tools. Explain to me why you believe this is not a good tactic.
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Comment #12 posted by The C-I-R-C-L-E on November 03, 2002 at 22:21:06 PT
You never know what a person is going to do 
''It's a mind altering drug,'' Glynn said. ''You never know what a person who uses it is going to do.'' Like, um...run for president (Bush, Gore, Clinton); become a US Supreme Court justice (Thomas); have an award-winning TV science show (Sagan); have a stellar athletic career (Abdul-Jabbar, Iverson, McEnroe); own more private land and media outlets in America than almost anyone (Turner); start a new democratic country (many of the U.S. founding fathers);blah blah blah ... need I go on?
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Comment #11 posted by mrherbalwarrior on November 03, 2002 at 21:50:06 PT:
Wow, some people are dumb
Ok, so Toker00 and canaman this goes to you
this article, doesn't say much of anything about alcohol, and real legalizers push far less on the alcohol is worse then pot front then they used to, cuase it doesn't really work. If you wanna push for pot, don't talk about how its better then some other drug, say whats good about it, or one of the horrible injustices about it, like how 24 million dollars could be saved in south boston for decriminalizing it, if your gonna go on about how alcohol is worse then pot, then find an article that compares alcohol to pot
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Comment #10 posted by canaman on November 03, 2002 at 20:46:13 PT
Alcohol & cannabis two mind altering substances
---''It's a mind altering drug,'' Glynn said. ''You never know what a person who uses it is going to do.''--- No you NEVER know but the odds are much more likly the drunk is going to cause society far more problems than the the person high on cannabis.Some people have their priorities all screwed up.
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Comment #9 posted by MikeEEEEE on November 03, 2002 at 20:27:17 PT
Interesting times we live in
About 40 years ago America hunted communists, and people at that time wondered when it would all end. Today, people wonder when marijuana smokers will stop being hunted.
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Comment #8 posted by knox42897 on November 03, 2002 at 20:12:13 PT:
Medical MJ dealers
''What's next, carving out an exception for dealers who only deal an ounce of pot?'' Tobin said. ''Where to you think people with an ounce of pot get it from?'' Very Good point Tobin. Let's start with Medical MJ dealers. I have felt for years that separating the dealer and the smoker justified the start of the drug war. Later when they realized they could never win by taking out all the dealers (as they are replaced the next day) they focussed on the users. However, going after users turns out to backfire on them and the shows the sheeple how the elite get favored probation/rehab statues while the working man goes to prison.I have never understood how they got with it. I mean really picture one guy on the right with one joint smilling and on the left picture a guy smoking a joint with a garbage bag full of MJ. I don't know why you would make either of them a criminal. Personally, I vote to give my MJ dealer a license. He is a great guy and I appreciate everything he does.LAS VEGAS NEVADANS FOR RESPOSIBLE LAW ENFORCEMENT IN AMERICA
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Comment #7 posted by Whirrlin on November 03, 2002 at 19:53:34 PT:
I think this is it!
FoM,I think this is it! Thanks alot I've been looking all over for this.Thanks :0)
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 03, 2002 at 19:37:40 PT
Arizona's Prop 203
Whirrlin is this it? Did you want the Nevada or Arizona Initiative? http://www.sosaz.com/election/2002/info/pubpamphlet/english/prop203.htm
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Comment #5 posted by Whirrlin on November 03, 2002 at 19:20:25 PT:
Thanks. But!
FOM,Thanks, but in an previous article they actual mentioned that there was 10 pages to the Proposition 203 Inititive, a copy of this is what I'm looking for, not the actual ballot question. I would think if they expect people to vote on it, that this kind of information would be covered under the Freedom of Information Act and would be avaialbe.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on November 03, 2002 at 18:33:11 PT
Does This Help Whirrlin?
http://216.239.53.100/search?q=cache:sIsUKlgpMEgC:www.nrle.org/pdf/ballot_lang.pdf+nevada+question+9+initiative&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
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Comment #3 posted by Toker00 on November 03, 2002 at 18:30:27 PT
They STILL have no argument.
''We all know groups of people who never got their lives together,'' Tobin said. ''And we say, `That guy's problems began in childhood when he was a pothead.''Oh, really? Compare that same group to people who use LEGAL alcohol, and can't get their lives together. One of the variables will be VIOLENCE and another, CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN. Which group do you think will exibit these two CRIMES the most, and in most cases, exclusively? AAA for the alcoholics, JAIL for the Cannabists? I won't even go into the traffic accident BS. Just look up the stats for alcohol related wrecks.And, consider, if you will, the group of "potheads" that DID get their lives together, and are doing very well, thank you! Some were rescued from alcoholism, CANNABIS being not only a safer alternative, but rehabilitative, too.It seems to me, that, to them, up is down, right is wrong, evil is good, sickness and death preferable to health and life.Exposing the lies about Cannabis is so much fun.Peace. Realize, then Re-Legalize.
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Comment #1 posted by Whirrlin on November 03, 2002 at 18:17:20 PT:

Does Anyone Know??
I'm looking for information on the actual intitive, I want to see the actual wording of it. All I've been able to find so far is just the actual ballot question. If anyone could lead me to a website with this I'd appreciated it!Thanks Alot
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