PATRIOT ACT, MARIJUANA, BULLYING ON LOCAL BALLOTS THIS FALL

BOSTON -- Voters in 61 state House and Senate districts will have a chance
this fall to weigh in on policy questions ranging from the value of the
Patriot Act to the use of marijuana for medical purposes to bullying in the
workplace. The Secretary of the Commonwealth's office has approved 11
nonbinding questions that would allow voters in selected districts to
instruct their representative or senator to support specific pieces of
legislation. In 35 House districts and one Senate district, voters will be
able to weigh in on legislation that would support "shared parenting" in
divorce cases, creating a strong presumption that parents should have joint
physical and legal custody unless there is clear evidence that one parent is
unfit. Voters in nine House districts can have their say on the Patriot Act,
which was passed by Congress in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks.

The questions asks whether their representative should vote for "a
resolution asserting that the campaign against terrorism should not
be waged at the expense of constitutionally protected civil rights and
liberties of Massachusetts residents." In 15 districts, voters will
be able to instruct their state representatives to support a
constitutional amendment that would strip the state Legislature of
its redistricting powers, instead establishing an independent
commission to create congressional and legislative districts.

As in past years, there are several questions on marijuana use,
including one about legislation that would allow seriously ill
patients to possess and grow small amounts of pot and another making
possession of marijuana more like a traffic ticket than a criminal
offense.

A third, more radical question, which is on the ballot in just one
district, would ask the local legislator to support legislation that
would legalize marijuana for adults 21 and older, allowing the state
to levy a tax on each sale.

In one district, voters will consider legislation that would declare
"workplace psychological harassment (bullying) to be an occupational
health and safety issue" and mandate a study to analyze the direct and
indirect costs of bullying. In 2002, voters in several districts
approved questions calling for the ouster of House Speaker Thomas
Finneran, D-Boston, for the legalization of marijuana, and for the
continuation of publicly financed political campaigns. They had
little effect on the course of legislation during the past year.