MARIJUANA MEASURES HEAD TO VOTERS, HILL

Penalties for Possession Would Be Reduced

A showdown over whether to relax penalties for having small
quantities of pot is advancing to Beacon Hill on two joint fronts as
the state's top prosecutors and anti-drug activists vow a fight in
the latest marijuana slugfest.

The push to introduce a civil penalty system for pot possession is
coming in the form of a ballot initiative almost entirely bankrolled
by billionaire Democratic heavyweight George Soros and a Senate bill
that has languished in the Legislature for years.

"The voters of Massachusetts are for this," said Whitney A. Taylor,
chairwoman of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which is
sponsoring the ballot effort to decriminalize the possession of less
than an ounce of pot.

Soros, a frequent contributor to marijuana legalization and
decriminalization efforts nationwide, is the biggest contributor to
the committee, according to records from the state Office of Campaign
and Political Finance. The ballot campaign raised $429,000 in 2007,
most of which came from a $400,000 donation that Soros made in June,
records show.

"We're opposed to it in any form because it's just an inappropriate
message to be sending, particularly to young people," said Cape and
Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe, who will lead an
opposition effort as president of the Massachusetts District
Attorneys Association.

Supporters of a civil penalty system say that criminal prosecution
for minor amounts of grass wastes millions in law enforcement
dollars, has minimal impact on drug use and creates a criminal record
that could affect an offender's housing, employment and borrowing
opportunities for life.

Civil penalty opponents assert that lessening the consequences for
pot possession sends the wrong message to young people, gives an
advantage to drug dealers and poses a public health risk.

A conviction for marijuana possession comes with a maximum prison
sentence of six months, fines up to $500 and up to a year's loss of a
driver's license.

Several studies by a Harvard professor, Jeffrey A. Miron, whose work
is partly funded by marijuana decriminalization backers, show
prosecutions and jailings for small-scale pot cases cost the state
about $130 million a year.

The ballot committee proposal would create a civil penalty system
that includes a $100 fine, enrollment in a drug awareness program and
parental notification for offenders under age 18. A similar bill
sponsored by state Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen (D-Somerville) calls for a
$250 civil fine.

The ballot committee cleared its first hurdle toward getting before
voters in November last month by submitting more than 81,000 voter
signatures to Secretary of State William Galvin, Taylor said. They
needed to submit a minimum of 66,593 signatures.

Lawmakers now have until May 6 to act on the measure. If they don't,
another 11,099 voter signatures must be gathered by June 18 for the
proposal to make the November ballot.

"Since the '60s, this is something that I've paid attention to. The
approach of the laws has been ever more draconian and that just
defies common sense," said attorney Thomas R. Kiley, who drafted the
ballot proposal.

William Breault, chairman of the Main South Alliance for Public
Safety in Worcester, said he will be writing to lawmakers and police
chiefs to defeat the effort.

"It's a bad idea," Breault said. "It affects people from blue collar
neighborhoods to places like Weston. It has ramifications. I don't
think we should send out the message that it's acceptable."