VOTE 'YES' ON QUESTION 4 AND SUPPORT MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

Brookline -- On Nov. 2, Brookline and Newton voters will have a
nonbinding question on our ballots asking whether we support a bill
that would legalize, regulate and tax cultivation, and sale of
marijuana for nonmedical purposes. As a parent, taxpayer and lawyer
with a career in criminal justice administration and mental health
law, I recommend a "yes" vote.

Two years ago, we voted to reform cannabis prohibition, despite the
opposition ofstate prosecutors, the attorney general and governor to
relaxing pot laws. We voted to enact decriminalization, ending the
risk of detention and career-damaging criminal records for possessing
up to an ounce of marijuana. Seventy-four percent of Brookline voters
supported the initiative, compared to a 65 percent "yes" vote statewide.

We were right, and public safety politicians were wrong: The sky
hasn't fallen.Families now can confront their children's cannabis use
in kitchens instead of courthouses; adults, whose use causes no risk
of harm, only risk a civil ticket rather than detention and lawyers'
fees. Decriminalization has freed police to prioritize violence and
property crime.

Now it's time to take the next step. People know that current
prohibition laws fail to control marijuana. Brookline parents know
that kids have easier access to pot than alcohol. Regulated alcohol
merchants know they will lose their business licenses for allowing
sales to minors. We need better laws that actually regulate cannabis
access through legalization, to promote our safety and health.

Let's demand a serious conversation about a better way to control a
substance used socially by 10 percent of Americans, which decades of
prohibition has failed to deter.Legalization would fund government
services instead of a black market that profits Mexican gangs and
encourages local violence. If we can manage toxic substances like
alcohol and tobacco, we can manage a nontoxic substance like cannabis.

We know use rates have not increased in the other decriminalization
states, and in the states that have taxed and regulated medical
marijuana.We also know that decriminalization still leaves
distribution and profits to criminals, resulting in uncontrolled
adolescent access. Decriminalization also fails to address dealer
violence in Mexico as well as Roxbury, demonstrated by recent
murders; these crimes are not caused by "drugs," but by prohibition.

Also on Nov. 2, California voters will decide whether to legalize
marijuana. If that initiative wins, Massachusetts will have a model
to watch.A favorable vote on our nonbinding ballot question that same
day will encourage our legislators to prepare for similar
improvements here, designed to better limit access and generate
revenues than current decriminalization law.

I urge a "yes" vote on Question 4 (expected to appear as Question 4
on Brookline ballots, except in Precinct 5, where it is Question 7),
to encourage legislative consideration of the best way to tax and
regulate marijuana, to improve public health and safety.