SAFETY GOES UP IN SMOKE

Two years ago Massachusetts voters decided it was no biggie if an
adult wanted to smoke the occasional joint, and voted to make
possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a civil, not a
criminal, offense. It all sounded so chill, dude.

But in addition to the fact that those civil penalties are almost
impossible to enforce, pot-related trafficking and violence have been
going up since passage of Question 2, which is frankly no surprise.
Decriminalization is driving demand. Demand is driving the supply.
And trafficking of the supply drives crime.

Distribution and trafficking cases are up in both Suffolk and
Middlesex counties, as the Herald reported yesterday.

Whether police are digging up more than 100 pot plants on Nantucket
or uncovering 2,000 pounds of pot in a Mattapan apartment, the stuff
is landing in the Bay State in bigger numbers.

And the September massacre in Mattapan of four people - including a
2-year-old boy - was allegedly driven by a turf dispute over pot dealing.

This is not, as voters were told, a victimless crime.

Advocates of Question 2 insist the fallout is because Massachusetts
didn't go far enough - full legalization would reduce the violence
and crime that accompanies the illegal drug trade.

But let's be real - Massachusetts voters are never going to go that
far. Instead they took this baby step, and our communities are less
safe for it.