POT FOES IN A HUFF OVER QUESTION 2

An army of young drug addicts and dealers could flood the streets if
voters don't snub out a proposal to decriminalize possession of small
amounts of marijuana, a cadre of Bay State officials said.

The Coalition for Safe Streets, a joint group of law enforcement,
religious and community leaders backed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino and
Attorney General Martha Coakley, warned yesterday the proposal would
spark a crime wave and efforts to keep kids clean would go up in smoke.

But the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which proposed
decriminalizing possession of up to an ounce of marijuana under
Question 2 on the Nov. 4 ballot, said the claims are brazen
"misinformation" based on "flawed science."

"Quite simply, Question 2 sanctions wrong over right and it would be
public policy of the worst kind," said Michael O'Keefe, Cape, and
Islands district attorney and president of the Massachusetts District
Attorneys Association.

"I'm not sure what the proponents were smoking when they brought this
to our state . . . we don't need more weed," said the Rev. Jeffrey
Brown, executive director of Boston's Ten Point Coalition of ministers.

He and other ministers said marijuana was a "gateway" to harder drugs
such as crack cocaine and heroin.

"Decriminalizing is a radical idea being pushed by out-of-touch
out-of-towners. It's bad for public safety, it's bad for public health
and it's bad public policy," said Suffolk District Attorney Daniel
Conley.

Whitney Taylor, CSMP campaign manager, said the proposal wants
possession of small quantities of marijuana to be treated as a civil,
rather than criminal matter, punishable by a $100 citation.

A recent Channel 7 News/Suffolk University poll revealed that more
than 70 percent of people would vote "yes" on Question 2.

"Eleven states already have these laws and they have shown no increase
in marijuana use. The facts are that marijuana use and related crime
will not increase," Taylor told the Herald.

She said the proposal would also save Massachusetts taxpayers $29.5
million a year on arrest, booking and preliminary court costs.

Meanwhile, the Coalition for Safe Streets yesterday refuted
"desperate" CSMP claims that it raised funds illegally and published
false statements relating to Question 2.