BID TO MAKE POT A CIVIL OFFENSE ADVANCES

A campaign to replace criminal penalties for marijuana possession with
civil penalties took the next step in reaching the 2008 statewide
ballot yesterday, with supporters bringing boxes of signatures to
Secretary of State William Galvin's office. Election officials now
must review the signatures, validated by cities and towns, before
passing the measure to the Legislature. The legalization forces
submitted more than 81,000 signatures, roughly 15,000 higher than the
threshold, said Whitney Taylor of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana
Policy.