cannabisnews.com: Mass. Voters OK Decriminalization of Marijuana





Mass. Voters OK Decriminalization of Marijuana
Posted by CN Staff on November 04, 2008 at 18:56:29 PT
By David Abel, Globe Staff 
Source: Boston Globe
Boston, MA --  Massachusetts voters today approved a ballot initiative to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, making getting caught with less than an ounce of pot punishable by a civil fine of $100. The change in the law means someone found carrying as many as dozens of marijuana cigarettes will no longer be reported to the state’s criminal history board.
“The people were ahead of the politicians on this issue; they recognize and want a more sensible approach to our marijuana policy,” said Whitney Taylor, chairwoman of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which campaigned for the ballot initiative. “They want to focus our limited law enforcement resources on serious and violent crimes. They recognize under the new law that the punishment will fit the offense.”The proposition will become law 30 days after it’s reported to the Governor’s Council, which usually meets in late November or early December. But the Legislature could amend or repeal the new law, as they've done with some prior laws passed by the voters, said Emily LaGrassa, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Martha Coakley. The Associated Press called the race at about 9:20 p.m. The proposition will require those younger than age 18 to complete a drug awareness program and community service. The fine would increase to as much as $1,000 for those who fail to complete the program.Proponents of the initiative, who spent about $1 million promoting it, argued the change in the law would maintain the state's existing penalties for growing, trafficking, or driving under the influence of marijuana, while ensuring that those caught with less than an ounce of pot would avoid the taint of a criminal record. They also argued it would save the state millions of law enforcement dollars and match similar marijuana possession laws in 12 states, all of which have adopted some form of decriminalization. The opponents, who included the governor, attorney general, and district attorneys around the state, argued that decriminalizing marijuana possession would promote drug use and benefit drug dealers at a time when they say marijuana has become more potent. They warned it would increase violence on the streets and safety hazards in the workplace, and cause the number of car crashes to rise as more youths drive under the influence. The opponents said that most of those charged with marijuana possession are arrested for other reasons, such as driving under the influence or possessing a more potent drug like crack cocaine. They also said most people arrested for marijuana possession have their records cleared within six months.Source: Boston Globe (MA)Author:  David Abel, Globe Staff Published: November 4, 2008 Copyright: 2008 Globe Newspaper CompanyContact: letter globe.comWebsite: http://www.boston.com/globe/Related Articles & Web Site:Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policyhttp://www.sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/Question 2 Passes Muster of Q&A Claimshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24280.shtmlVoters To Consider Relaxing Marijuana Lawshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread24279.shtml
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Comment #48 posted by Hope on November 05, 2008 at 21:26:07 PT
Aolbites
Very interesting. Thank you.
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Comment #47 posted by aolbites on November 05, 2008 at 20:47:38 PT
I didn't convice him, but I hope I helped.
http://market-ticker.denninger.net/archives/2008/11/03.htmlplease read the rest of this republican rant! -=snip=-In July I purchased a rather expensive ticket to a John McCain reception at the University Club in Washington DC. It included a round table discussion with Governors Ridge and Keating, two of John McCain's top advisers.I got one question into the round table, which was the essence of the above story - the fraudulent basis of the entire housing bubble and the futility of trying to maintain home prices.The question was dodged by both Governors Ridge and Keating, but during the photo session (yes, for my money I got my picture taken with Governor Ridge - wow, what an honor) that followed Governor Ridge pulled me aside and said in a low voice "the essential element in all this was greed, you know." I nodded in reply.Yes Governor, I do know. But this makes quite clear that John McCain and you know too, doesn't it?
-=snip=--=snip=-No, John, I cannot cast a vote for someone who has clearly and publicly countenanced and looked aside at fraud that has coerced millions of Americans to go into debt to the tune of trillions of dollars they have no hope of being able to repay. Then, to add insult to injury, when the music ends, with you having full knowledge of how this occurred you then support and press in Florida and elsewhere a plan to forcibly shift the entirety of this fraud to the taxpayers - including those who were not originally ensnared in the trap and even those who are not yet born.You, John McCain, your support of the "right to life" obviously don't include a right to freedom. You instead support selling our born and unborn children into debt slavery so that those who perpetrated this fraud will not only go free from punishment but will get to keep their ill-gotten gains as well.Is Barack Obama perfect? No. He and I have many differences of opinion, some of them very serious, and absent John McCain's attempt to sell my daughter and her yet-to-be-conceived children into debt slavery to satisfy those who committed fraud and now demand to escape with the loot, I would be voting for John McCain.But I cannot vote for a man who has, through his pubic actions and pronouncements, supports slavery of every taxpayer in America, the children and the unborn - no matter what other positions he holds that I agree with.For the first time in my adult life, tomorrow I will cast a vote for a Democrat - Barack Obama - and I strongly urge others to do so as well.Slavery was supposed to end in the United States with the Emancipation Proclamation on September 22nd, 1862.Someone forgot to tell John McCain.-=END=-00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000a bit from the middle:-=snip=- I am a lifelong Republican and in fact have a Gingrich Speaker’s Gavel on my credenza behind my desk. In fact, since gaining the age of majority in 1981 I have not cast ONE ballot for a Democrat.-=snip=-This was a historic election, to be able to convert a person such as this. 
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Comment #46 posted by aolbites on November 05, 2008 at 20:28:25 PT
every vote counts.
every vote counts.thanks for talking.thanks for maybe converting at least 1 repub ... more than I was able to do.
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Comment #45 posted by FoM on November 05, 2008 at 16:37:34 PT
Sinsemilla Jones 
I know what you mean. I think we can rest a little at least for a short time.
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Comment #44 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on November 05, 2008 at 16:21:58 PT
You're welcome, FoM
I'm relieved, but exhausted today.
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Comment #43 posted by FoM on November 05, 2008 at 10:54:38 PT
Sinsemilla Jones Comment 36
You did a great job setting up the articles. Thank you.
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Comment #42 posted by FoM on November 05, 2008 at 10:48:47 PT
Paint with light 
It was a remarkable day. I'm glad we won. I am very calm today. I haven't been calm for a long time.
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Comment #41 posted by FoM on November 05, 2008 at 06:46:51 PT
Obama's Front Page Today
http://www.barackobama.com/index.php
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Comment #40 posted by FoM on November 05, 2008 at 06:42:44 PT
What a Beautiful Day
I loved reading all these positive comments this morning. We can change the world if we believe we can and work hard to make it happen. I love this new beginning.
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Comment #39 posted by Hope on November 05, 2008 at 05:45:50 PT
I'm so hopeful about the future...
I'm so glad we're giving Obama a chance. California is a disappointment though.About Stem Cell research. How is it any different than donating organs to help others medically? When a child dies, that most hateful of situations, parents can donate his organs to perhaps save another child. The embryos that aren't going to develop are not unlike allowing organ donation to happen from that loss, it seems.
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Comment #38 posted by Hope on November 05, 2008 at 05:38:32 PT
  :0)
:0)Still smiling!
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Comment #37 posted by potpal on November 05, 2008 at 05:09:40 PT
o vs fdr
What was one of the first things FDR addressed? Wasn't it an end to prohibition I? If historical parallels are to be drawn, let this be one thing we can latch on...Legalize it.Cannabis prohibition is a crime against humanity.
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Comment #36 posted by Sinsemilla Jones on November 05, 2008 at 02:00:25 PT
More mj election articles -
Voters Say Yes to Marijuana in Massachusetts and Michigan (By Paul Armentano)"NORML celebrates both victories and recognizes that neither would have been possible without the grassroots efforts of Michigan and Massachusetts state activists -- who laid the groundwork for both campaigns by successfully passing a series of similar, municipal initiatives over the past several years."http://tinyurl.com/654dgn (Alternet)-------Michigan votes for medical marijuana"Michigan voters Tuesday approved a referendum calling for marijuana to be legal for medicinal purposes. The ballot measure provided that people can grow marijuana and use it with a doctor's approval for specific medical purposes."http://tinyurl.com/55nkex (UPI)-------US elections: States vote on abortion, marijuana and gay marriage"Tonight's results represent a sea change," said Rob Kampia, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, which backed the Massachusetts and Michigan ballot proposals. "Voters have spectacularly rejected eight years of the most intense government war on marijuana since the days of 'Reefer Madness.'"http://tinyurl.com/6c45cs (Guardian)-------California poised to ban gay marriage, reject marijuana decriminalization "In one of the more shocking developments of a momentous election, California voters appear to be writing an amendment into the state constitution to ban gay marriage and restrict the institution to be "between a man and a woman." At the same time, they're giving thumbs down to a provision that would emphasize treatment over criminal penalties for drug offenders and decriminalize possession of up to an ounce of marijuana."http://tinyurl.com/6ca7ma
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Comment #35 posted by Paint with light on November 05, 2008 at 01:46:54 PT
FoM
Victory!!!!!!!!!!I walked across the street and voted today.I took a picture of my machine marked for Obama.No paper record but I have an image to remember.Then I came home and settled in to channel surf until a winner was decided.Little by little the dark cloud that has hung over us for the past 8 years was lifted.Fifteen minutes before Obama was to make his appearance I switched from all the talking heads to C-span.No comments from any hosts.Just the pictures and the sounds of the celebration.It almost felt like being there.Sometimes the visuals without pundit comments say so much more than the words of analysis.I am sure you felt the joy of the evening.A cyber hug for you and a bit of music to start your day.(Not made by me but by one of the posters at you tube.)A new day is dawning.........
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZtQh5EIgWQ&feature=related
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Comment #34 posted by afterburner on November 04, 2008 at 23:50:06 PT
One Last Song - A Nightcap
Hotel California -Bob Marley-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OnvE60gMa4&NR=1I didn't know Bob Marley ever recorded this. Enjoy.Good, good night!
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Comment #33 posted by Yoshi on November 04, 2008 at 23:01:56 PT:
Avoid the Taint
Glad to hear Massachusetts herb smokers can avoid the taint of a cannabis charge. Really curious who the next drug czar will be? but with so much else going on it's hard to see the Feds marching orders changing much.
Good luck comrades in avoiding the taint
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Comment #32 posted by afterburner on November 04, 2008 at 22:48:17 PT
Here You Go, FoM. Sweet Dreams!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008. 
Medical marijuana passes, stem cell proposal leads.
Charlie Cain / The Detroit News
http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081104/POLITICS01/811040439/&imw=Y
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Comment #31 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 22:15:22 PT
Thank You
I think I'll sleep like a rock tonight. Maybe I will have some hippie dreams again. I haven't found any real article on Michigan and I need to visit the land of Nod. I'll get an article posted as soon as I find one in the morning. What a wonderful day. It always is the darkest just before the dawn. I think the dawn is coming.
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Comment #30 posted by afterburner on November 04, 2008 at 22:13:15 PT
Reaching Out the Hand of Freedom and Sharing
My Fellow Americans:Bob Marley & The Wailers 'Could You Be Loved'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQlOLARxC_ALet's dance!
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Comment #29 posted by HempWorld on November 04, 2008 at 22:05:34 PT
Victory!
and happy birthday FoM (I hope we can turn the page on the 'drug war' and grow some hemp soon...)Dear President Obama You Are Awesome!Go baby go ...
On a mission from God!
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Comment #28 posted by runruff on November 04, 2008 at 22:00:51 PT
And so...
From my wife and myself we would like to wish you a happy birthday and whatta day it is!
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Comment #27 posted by museman on November 04, 2008 at 21:52:48 PT
I just want to say
THANK YOU AMERICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Comment #26 posted by rchandar on November 04, 2008 at 21:52:10 PT:
Barack Obama and Our Story
Hello--I don't know how you all felt tonight. I did cry when Barack accepted the nomination, but no tears today--jubilation, victory, those were my sentiments.I am immensely proud of this man. Hell, if anyone told me twenty years ago that an African-American could be President, I would've said they were crazy. But Barack disproved a lot of us tonight...the speech itself was both foretelling and authoritative. It spelled out a sense of promise and took dead aim at a lot of people who were giving this campaign the cold shoulder, even threats.Kudos to Barack, Michelle, Joe, and Jill.Now--our fight still goes on. I can only stress to you all that we cannot afford to blow this chance, the way we did when Clinton was elected sixteen years ago. It's the coming of a new era--and a new generation of activists, attorneys, thinkers, teachers--who will fight for this change. We cannot afford to let our presidency sink into those kinds of pasts. And to those in Massachusetts, well, you disproved me, too!I never thought I would be proud of being an American again. Not after eight years of George Bush. But strangely enough, it does ring in my heart tonight.Thanks.--rchandar
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Comment #25 posted by afterburner on November 04, 2008 at 21:47:10 PT
One Love One Nation
YouTube - Bob Marley - One Love peace concert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huynn0Nz1O4Bob marley - One love live 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QxiZLNHY6M&feature=relatedWoh-oh!
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Comment #24 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 21:36:26 PT
Afterburner and Storm Crow
Thank you. Today was a day that I have only dreamt about really. It goes back to my hippie dreams a longtime ago. What's so wrong about peace, love and understanding? It's been buried for years now. I can take a deep breath and I am surprisingly calm. I don't know what the future holds but we have a chance at a new direction. JFK made me believe that we could put a person on the Moon even though it seemed impossible. It wasn't impossible. What a wonderful moment in time.
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Comment #23 posted by Storm Crow on November 04, 2008 at 21:15:29 PT
Whooo!!!Hoooo!!!!
Is that the sound of dominoes falling? It's hard to tell with all the partying going on! lol Hey FoM, you and my youngest share a birthday! Cool! You got quite a birthday present today! A partial pay-off for all your hard work. Don't throw your back out doing cartwheels tonight! 
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Comment #22 posted by afterburner on November 04, 2008 at 21:09:32 PT
Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio, America
It's good to be home!HappyBirthdayFoM MoFyadhtriByppaHE pluribus unam!
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Comment #21 posted by RevRayGreen on November 04, 2008 at 21:04:30 PT
MANY THANKS YOU fight_4_freedom and all of
Michigan, and everyone who voted for Obama or at least not McCain..........
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Comment #20 posted by charmed quark on November 04, 2008 at 20:56:01 PT
feels like a 2 year first pregnancy
worrying and fretting and being careful for the last two years. Then a long difficult labor.Holy cow - now we got a baby. What do we do now :-)It's just too much to take in.
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Comment #19 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 20:52:55 PT
Good Music
If you're tired of the talk on the news channels you can listen to the great music until Obama speaks.http://www.cnn.com/video/live/live_asx.html?stream=stream2
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Comment #18 posted by sam adams on November 04, 2008 at 20:52:35 PT
President Obama
I can't believe it's over this soon. Congrats to f4f and everyone in Michigan - time to sow the seeds and get the medicine to the patients.It's great to see the Dems finally pick a winner after all these years.I know New Hampshire and Vermont were close to passing MJ decrim this year, I hope the vote in Mass will influence them too.
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Comment #17 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 20:38:48 PT
aolbites 
Thank you. I didn't do much of anything but talk about Obama whenever I could.
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Comment #16 posted by aolbites on November 04, 2008 at 20:32:41 PT
Congrats, Obama!
and congrats to you FoM for helping to deliver Ohio!=)
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Comment #15 posted by charmed quark on November 04, 2008 at 19:57:17 PT
Huge margin for MM may have ripples
Seeing the huge margins for decrim in Mass and MM in Mich., maybe states like NJ whose legislators introduced MM bills and then sat on them - afraid of the political repercussions of proceeding - will realize they have nothing to lose by passing them.
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Comment #14 posted by HempWorld on November 04, 2008 at 19:54:15 PT
Dear Johnny Walters, we are comin' to get you ...
...
Rest in peace!
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Comment #13 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 19:49:57 PT
On CNN: Beam Me Up Scotty!
They beamed Wil.i.am's image like in Star Trek into the CNN studio! Wow!
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Comment #12 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 19:46:29 PT
Hope
Thank you! 
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Comment #11 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 19:45:52 PT
Medical Marijuana Proposal Passes in Michigan
http://www.freep.com/article/20081104/NEWS15/81104120
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Comment #10 posted by Hope on November 04, 2008 at 19:45:01 PT
Smiling and smiling...
This looks good. Really good. I feel your joy, Fight_4_Freedom! Happy, happy birthday, FoM!
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Comment #9 posted by E_Johnson on November 04, 2008 at 19:27:11 PT
Good job people!
Way to go!
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 19:20:33 PT
fight_4_freedom 
Thank you. You are absolutely right! 
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Comment #7 posted by fight_4_freedom on November 04, 2008 at 19:16:43 PT
HAAAAPPPPYYYY Birthday FOM
Money couldn't buy this good of a present!I'm so very happy for you!
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Comment #6 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 19:13:07 PT
fight_4_freedom 
Perfect song! Party Party Party! I got my birthday wish.
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Comment #5 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 19:10:47 PT
Marijuana Wins in Massachusetts and Michigan 
By J.D. Tuccille, Civil Liberties ExaminerNovember 4, 2008  Voters in both Massachusetts and Michigan have approved measures easing the laws against the use of marijuana -- at least under certain circumstances. That's according to information from the Marijuana Policy Project.Massachusetts voters gave the nod to Question 2, under which marijuana would be effectively decriminalized in the Bay State. Criminal penalties for possession would be replaced by a $100 fine, although growers and sellers would still face the full force of the drug warriors.Michigan voters approved Proposal 1, which approves medical use of marijuana by terminally ill and seriously ill patients. Qualifying patients would have to have doctors' approval and carry ID cards authorizing the use of marijuana.That's two of the three proposals on state ballots with the potential to ease some of the damage inflicted on this country by drug prohibition. California's Proposition 5 remains to be heard from.http://www.examiner.com/x-536-Civil-Liberties-Examiner~y2008m11d4-Marijuana-wins-in-Massachusetts-and-Michigan
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Comment #4 posted by fight_4_freedom on November 04, 2008 at 19:07:53 PT
Celebrate Good Times C'Mon!!!!!
WoooHooo!!!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwEMxYggoKQ
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Comment #3 posted by Had Enough on November 04, 2008 at 19:03:27 PT
Take that!!!
John Pee Walters...and put that in your pipe and smoke it...
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Comment #2 posted by fight_4_freedom on November 04, 2008 at 18:58:51 PT
Simply Amazing
Way to go Massachusetts!!!! Congrats Sam!
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on November 04, 2008 at 18:57:10 PT
Massachusetts
I think I love you! Thank you!
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