BROOKLINE TAB ENDORSEMENT: YES ON QUESTION 4

Brookline - Also on the ballot in Brookline is Question 4 (Question 7
in Precinct 5) which asks, "Shall the state senator from this
district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would
allow the state to regulate the taxation, cultivation, and sale of
marijuana to adults?"

While this is not a cut-and-dried issue, the TAB recommends a yes
vote to this nonbinding question.

The Massachusetts Legislature has for many years refused to even
discuss marijuana policy. Two years ago, voters took the issue out of
the Legislature's hands, approving the decriminalization of
marijuana. Question 2 passed with 65 percent of the vote. Now it's
time to take the issue to its next logical step: legalization.

The majority of people in the U.S. under the age of 65 have smoked
pot at least once, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.
Adults who want to buy marijuana to use socially know where to buy
it. Rather than turning a blind eye while they dump their hard-earned
money into the pockets of a black market that encourages local
violence, the state should heavily tax marijuana and use the proceeds
for public safety or any number of government services.

The implications of legalizing a non-harmful drug like marijuana
should be studied. We have not yet solved drug violence by
prohibiting drugs. We have no reason to believe that continuing the
same behavior will produce different results.