OFFICIALS HURRY TO HASH OUT NEW MARIJUANA LAW

Now that voters have decided that carrying small amounts of pot
shouldn't be a crime, public safety officials are scrambling to
determine how to make that happen.

Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday directed Public Safety Secretary Kevin M.
Burke to work with Attorney General Martha Coakley to determine how to
implement Question 2, including whether a new mini-bureaucracy is
necessary to oversee the doling out of citations to those caught with
an ounce or less of pot.

"Question 2's passage not only authorizes the decriminalization of
small amounts of marijuana, but also establishes a parallel civil
regulatory structure that does not currently exist," Coakley said. "At
this time, we are reviewing all of the implications of the new law and
whether further clarification or guidance is needed."

Under the new law, pot is still illegal, but getting caught with up to
an ounce of weed is only a civil infraction. The penalty isn't jail,
but a $100 fine. And if the offender is under 18, a drug awareness
course and parental notification are required.

Officials have yet to figure out how much money the new measure could
cost, though advocates argue it will save money associated with
marijuana arrests.

Also unanswered is how cops will determine the weight of the weed in
question.

Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis, who opposed the measure along
with droves of other law enforcment officials, said yesterday officers
already routinely summons small-time tokers to court in lieu of
arresting them.

"I'm really concerned about the effects the use of marijuana already
has on the significant problem of motor vehicle impairment," Davis
said.

Coakley said she expects the law to go into effect in late December or
January.