cannabisnews.com: Consternation Greets Bills To Ease Pot Laws





Consternation Greets Bills To Ease Pot Laws
Posted by FoM on April 09, 2001 at 13:55:42 PT
By Jon Chesto, Times Boston Bureau
Source: Gloucester Daily Times
When voters in Rep. Brad Hill's relatively conservative district indicated they would support a bill to decriminalize marijuana, the news came as a surprise to the Ipswich Republican. However, Hill wasn't persuaded to sponsor such a bill. He maintains marijuana can lead to the abuse of more dangerous substances. But nothing prevented Steve Epstein, a Georgetown attorney and the proposal's lead advocate, from taking the bill to Beacon Hill as legislation filed by a citizen's request. 
Epstein's bill would make marijuana possession a civil infraction punishable by a fine, instead of a criminal charge. That bill, along with a similar bill that's backed by several Democratic lawmakers, finally reached a public hearing last Tuesday. At the hearing, supporters reminded the Criminal Justice committee that the majority of voters in more than a dozen towns, including Manchester, showed support for marijuana decriminalization bills in non-binding referenda last November. Epstein, one of the founders of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, told the committee that he would rather see police officers, especially those in small departments like Georgetown's, spend their time on more important issues. Medford resident Jack Cole, a retired state police officer from New Jersey, agreed. "Let's put police on things that are much more important, like violent crimes," Cole said. Cole and others talked about the long-lasting burden a drug conviction can create, particularly to young people. "I have a lot of sorrow because I think I've ruined a lot of good people," Cole admitted. "Once you have a drug arrest, you get stigmatized." Although no one spoke against either bill at the hearing, the bills face an uncertain future in the Statehouse. Many legislators are reluctant to adopt causes that could be perceived as soft on crime. Rep. Stephen Tobin, the House chairman of the Criminal Justice Committee and a defense attorney, said he can easily see the issue from both sides. Tobin, a Democrat from Quincy, said he hates to see teen-agers get a permanent mark on their record from a simple act of poor judgment. But he also doesn't want to send the message to young people that it's O.K. to smoke marijuana, and he's afraid the decriminalization bills might do that. "I really don't know how this will play out," Tobin conceded. Hill, who would only consider supporting the decriminalization of marijuana if it's for medicinal use, steered clear of Tuesday's hearing. "I haven't even been following it, to be honest," Hill said later in the week. "I have bigger fish to fry than to worry about ... a bill that I don't support."Source: Gloucester Daily Times (MA)Author: Jon Chesto, Times Boston BureauPublished: April 9, 2001Copyright: 2001 Essex County Newspapers, IncorporatedContact: mfine ecnnews.comWebsite: http://www.gloucestertimes.com/Related Article & Web Site:MassCannhttp://www.masscann.org/Voters Will Be Asked To Decriminalize Marijuanahttp://cannabisnews.com/news/7/thread7429.shtml
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Comment #2 posted by Rainbow on April 10, 2001 at 15:01:59 PT
Let's get tough on crime - the real crime
"Many legislators are reluctant to adopt causes that could be perceived as soft on crime." We need to find a way to make this statement work for us. The answer is in the statements above.We can go harder on the more violent crimes if we forget MJ. This point needs to be stated more and more. They do not always respond to more people are in jail because that is a manifestation of their hardness to crime. We need to re-define crime and let them have an out a la the chinese we all need to save face even if we are mean-spirited.When the newspapers start sensationalizing real crime again maybe we can get some headway.Just a thought.CheersRainbow
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Comment #1 posted by Cuzn Buzz on April 10, 2001 at 09:05:00 PT:
EARTH TO HILL
Brad Hill needs to get up to speed here.It's clear that he still labors under the old "gateway drug" mythology.It is also clear that he does not represent the people who voted for him.One question for Hill.Exactly what do you think a representative is supposed to do?
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