SWAMPSCOTT VOTERS TO BE POLLED ON MARIJUANA

Marblehead - Movies making light of potheads and "getting high" have
become commonplace, but a ballot question Swampscoitt voters will be
asked for a serious opinion on Nov. 2 as to whether marijuana should
be legalized.

Posed as Question 4 on the ballot, the non-binding referendum will
ask voters in the 7th Essex (Salem) and 8th Essex (Swampscott,
Marblehead and part of Lynn) if they think their lawmakers should
enact legislation that would allow the state to regulate the
taxation, cultivation and sale of marijuana to adults.

Steven Epstein, a Georgetown resident and the founder of the
Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, is responsible for having
gotten the necessary support to put the question on the ballot. His
organization is under the umbrella of the National Organization for
the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, a D.C.-based advocacy group.

New Jersey, Rhode Island, California and 11 other states, plus the
District of Columbia, have legalized marijuana for medical use.
Further, a California ballot measure this year would make it legal
for those over the age of 21 to grow small amounts of the drug for
recreational use.

In 2008, Massachusetts voters chose to reduce the penalty for
possession of less than an ounce of marijuana in the state to a $100
fine. Marblehead voters decided to enact a local marijuana bylaw in
2009 relating to public usage of the drug.

Supporters of the legalization of marijuana have argued that by
regulating its sale could bring in billions of dollars in revenue to
the state, as alcohol sales do.

They also argue that exposure to drug-prevention programs and the
threat of criminal legal sanctions play little if any role in
determining whether or not Americans use pot.

Supporters also say that studies fail to demonstrate conclusively
that marijuana is a "gateway" drug, which leads to use and abuse of
more dangerous illicit drugs.

Marblehead Counseling Center Executive Director Paul Crosby, who
explained he "cut his teeth" in the realm of alcohol addiction, said
he does not necessarily think the drug should be legalized except
strictly for medicinal purposes.

"I'm for the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes; I do
believe it should be regulated such as getting it through a drug
store," Crobsy said. "It should not be for kids under 21, just like
alcohol, because I've seen too many kids get stalled up for getting
psychologically hooked." The Counseling Center also serves Swampscott
residents.

However, Crosby added that he doesn't think that marijuana is as
addictive a substance as alcohol. Furthermore, tobacco is the most
addictive substance of all, he added.

"Nicotine is the hardest addiction to kick," Crosby said.

As for the gateway-drug argument against legalization, Crosby said
while he's seen some evidence of marijuana addiction in teenagers,
there is less evidence of that in adults.

"There still is a substance, DNC, in marijuana that although not
physically addictive, becomes psychologically addictive in people," he said.

He added that extensive marijuana use can result in a reduction in
ambition, although he added, "You have to smoke a lot."

Holding a similar opinion on the matter is Swampscotts state Rep.
Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead.

"I will vote no on a wholesale legalization, but I would be
interested to see a proposal here in the commonwealth similar to the
models in California and Washington, D.C.'s example of permitting
medicinal use," she stated in an e-mail. "In light of the successful
passage of the last ballot initiative, which dramatically changed
enforcement, I think it's time to take a more careful look at the
direction we are heading for even non-medicinal purposes. It seems to
be the will of the voters to bring this underground and illicit
economy to the surface so we should make sure that we have an
opportunity, as a state, to ensure the safety of the product and
regulate it in a way that we can address the many downsides of drug use."

Ehrlich's opponent, Republican Kate Kozitza of Swampscott, called the
issue a difficult one for her as a physician and as a psychiatrist
who has seen many patients over the years "who have destroyed their
lives through alcohol and drug dependency."

"That being said, certain substances pose more harm to society at
large than other substances," she said. "For instance, even when
consumed in even in the smallest quantities, substances like heroin
and methamphetamine are highly addictive, pose public health and
safety threats, and significant criminal behavior can be directly
attributed to addiction to both substances. On the contrary,
marijuana, while problematic in the way alcohol can be, does not
wreak havoc, directly or indirectly, on society."

She added that she does not believe marijuana to be a "gateway drug."

She continued, "The commonwealth already elected to decriminalize the
possession of modest amounts of marijuana, freeing up strained police
forces and jails to concentrate more on violent offenders."

Legalizing marijuana, she argued, would further alleviate this strain
and would save the taxpayers "tens of millions of dollars per year in
costs relating to the prosecution of marijuana-related offenses."