SUPPORT FOR RELAXING MARIJUANA LAWS

Measures Pass Easily In 3 Area Districts

Voters south of Boston overwhelmingly supported measures to
decriminalize marijuana, surprising some local legislators and law
enforcement officials and giving a boost to the drug-law reform
movement spreading across the state. The proposals to decriminalize
marijuana and legalize the drug for medical use won by huge margins in
all 10 area towns that voted on one or the other of the two
initiatives, according to results from nonbinding ballot questions on
the Nov. 2 ballot.

The ratio of victory was more than 2-to-1 in nine of the communities.

Backers of the local effort to rewrite drug laws say they hope the
results, which were mirrored in other communities across the state,
will persuade lawmakers to embrace the proposed policy changes and
help push Massachusetts closer to passing permanent legislation that
makes possession of marijuana a less serious offense.

"The numbers are only getting larger and larger and more in our
favor," said John Leonard of Hingham, who collected signatures to get
the marijuana questions on the Nov. 2 ballot in three area House
districts, the Third and Seventh Plymouth and the Sixth Norfolk.

"If the Legislature doesn't get it together soon, a binding initiative
will be the only way to go."

Since 2000, the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts and other groups
have initiated efforts to put the public policy questions before
communities and give proof to the Legislature that people want to
lessen the penalties for those caught with small amounts of the drug.
Supporters of the cause say too much time and money are spent
prosecuting people holding marijuana that, in some cases, is critical
for easing pain for people battling serious illnesses. Some opponents
of the decriminalization efforts contend that voters were not informed
about the ballot questions and are unaware of the harmful effects of
marijuana.

Other law enforcement officials south of Boston argue that marijuana
is a gateway drug and that lifting the criminal penalties would
increase access to the substance for youths.

Also, despite the success of the ballot initiatives, some local
lawmakers still seem reluctant to touch the issue. According to the
latest poll results, voters in the Third Plymouth District, which
covers Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, and part of Scituate, backed the
decriminalization initiative by a combined vote of 15,188 to 6,949.
The nonbinding question asked whether the state representatives from
the district should be instructed to vote in favor of legislation
that would make the possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a
civil violation, subject to a maximum fine of $100, and not subject
to any criminal penalties.

Currently, the maximum penalty for first-time offenders is six months
in a house of correction and/or a $500 fine. Repeat offenders are
subject to a maximum of two years in a house of correction and/or a
$2,000 fine, and the potential loss of their driver's license.

In the Sixth Norfolk District, which covers Avon, Canton, and part of
Stoughton, voters offered sizable support for the legalization of
marijuana for medical use: 10,782 in favor of and 4,500 against the
measure.

The ballot question asked whether the district's state representative
should be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would allow
seriously ill patients, with their doctor's written recommendation, to
possess and grow small amounts of marijuana for medicinal use.

The same question received similar support in the Seventh Plymouth
District, which covers Abington, East Bridgewater, and Whitman. In
these three towns, residents backed the medical marijuana-use
initiative by a vote of 13,756 to 5,882. The movement to decriminalize
marijuana in Massachusetts comes as other states across the country
take up the issue.

On Nov. 2, Montana became the 10th state to stop the arrest and
prosecution of people who use marijuana for medical purpose.

Opponents of decriminalization are not backing down. "There is only
great potential for bad and harm with marijuana," said Lea Pallaria
Cox, president of Concerned Citizens for Drug Prevention Inc., a group
based in Hanover. "There are no benefits.

Any mention of medical is totally ridiculous and unfounded."

Cox said the ballot proposals sound innocuous because they are
nonbinding and voters do not truly grasp the ramifications of
decriminalizing marijuana. The prevention group usually tries to
campaign against these ballot measures, but Cox conceded: "I learned
about it very late. I did drop the ball." In Hingham, Leonard said he
hoped the resounding victory for the questions would send a message to
state Representative Garrett Bradley, who has expressed opposition in
the past, that his constituents support change. Bradley declined to be
interviewed and would not make any formal comments on the issue, said
a legislative aide, Stephen Burm. The Democratic lawmaker is "still
reviewing the results of the election as well as the legislation and
the ballot question," he said.

Representative William C. Galvin, who represents the Sixth Plymouth
District, said he was somewhat surprised by the overwhelming majority
in his district that favors the legalization of marijuana for medical
use. The Canton Democrat said he also voted for the measure. "If it's
a critically ill person and the marijuana will help alleviate the
pain, I don't see anything wrong with that," Galvin said. Still,
Galvin is not planning to take the lead on pushing drug reform
legislation and said he has not taken a position on the other measure,
to make the possession of less than 1 ounce of marijuana a civil
violation. Cohasset Police Chief Jim Hussey said he believes that the
maximum penalties are rarely imposed and that most offenders are
handed lenient sentences. "The concern to law enforcement is that
decriminalization will make marijuana more readily available and get
into the hands of young people who will then potentially experiment
with other drugs above and beyond class D marijuana," Hussey said.