NORTH SHORE GOES TO POT, AND THE DOGS

Voters across the North Shore yesterday overwhelmingly decided that
personal possession of an ounce or less of marijuana should be
decriminalized. Question 2 on the ballot was approved by nearly a 2-1
ratio in every community. The only place the vote was at all close
was in Peabody, where police Chief Robert Champagne was a vocal
opponent of the measure. Even there, however, the measure won favor
with 58 percent of voters.

"It is what it is," Champagne said. "The people have spoken." His
concern now is that there is no system in place to issue citations,
as the question calls for, he said.

Steve Epstein, speaking for MassCann/NORML, which has lobbied for
reforming marijuana laws for years, felt vindicated by yesterday's
result. "It's a great step," Epstein said. "We knew the seeds sown by
MassCann would bear fruit."

He added the result was also an "indictment" of the legislature for
failing to take action sooner.

Question 3, to ban dog racing, won by a narrower margin locally, but
the only community opposed to it was Peabody.