Pubdate: Tue, 27 Aug 2002
Source: The Sentinel and Enterprise (MA)
Copyright: 2002 MediaNews Group, Inc. and Mid-States Newspapers, Inc.
Address: 808 Main Street, Fitchburg, MA  01420-0007
Fax: (978) 342-1158
Website: http://sentinelandenterprise.com
Contact:  Jennifer Fenn, Sentinel & Enterprise State House Bureau

BALLOT TO INCLUDE POT QUESTION

BOSTON -- Residents in Ashby, Ashburnham and Gardner will vote on a ballot 
question in November that would gauge public support for legislation that 
decriminalizes marijuana possession.

The question would read, "Shall the state representative from this district 
be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would make possession of 
less than one ounce of marijuana a civil violation, subject to a maximum 
fine of $100 and not subject to any criminal penalties?"

Rep. Brian Knuuttila, D-Gardner, and Republican William Hunt of Gardner are 
vying for the 2nd Worcester district seat, which also includes Royalston 
and Winchendon. Neither were available for comment Monday.

Similar questions are expected to appear on the ballot in 20 state 
representative districts.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition is behind the effort. The 
questions have been certified by the secretary of state's office and are 
now under review by the attorney general's office. Attorney General Thomas 
Reilly's office reviews the questions to make sure they qualify as a public 
policy issue.

Steven Epstein, founder of MassCann, said the state could immediately save 
"millions of tax dollars in police overtime, public defenders and 
probation," and reduce the backlog in the criminal courts by making the 
possession of marijuana a civil, not criminal offense.

But Epstein said the real savings to the taxpayers will come in public 
safety -- if police officers cut back on time spent booking the low-level 
offenders and writing reports, they will be able to put in more time on the 
street.

Epstein also described it as a moral issue. He said the current law 
"persecutes otherwise law-abiding citizens and the ill, terrorizing people 
with the threat of arrest when they are harming no one or trying to 
alleviate life-threatening medical conditions or the effects of their other 
therapies."

The current law, according to MassCann, damages over 10,000 families every 
year when a breadwinner or other loved one gets a criminal record and 
suffers loss of a driver's license instead of paying a civil fine, like a 
speeding ticket.

MassCann conducted a similar campaign in 2000, when 18 cities and towns 
passed similar measures by a two-thirds margin. No new laws have been 
enacted however that would ease penalties for marijuana use or possession.

There are four questions this year, all worded slightly differently. They 
are targeted in communities where the coalition has volunteers or they are 
represented by lawmakers who have stalled legislation decriminalizing 
marijuana possession, Epstein said.

"It's important to let them know that their people by a good margin support 
ending the arrest of adults in possession of marijuana," Epstein said.

In West Boylston and several precincts in Worcester, voters will be asked, 
"Shall the state representative from this district be instructed to vote 
for legislation that would allow patients with certain diseases, who have a 
written doctor's recommendation, to possess and grow small amounts of 
Cannabis marijuana for their personal use until such time that the federal 
government puts into an effective distribution system for these patients?"

In Randolph, Quincy, Norwood, Walpole, Rockland, Hanover, Norwell, 
Charleston, South Boston, Brookline, West Roxbury, Roslindale, Jamaica 
Plain, Hyde Park, Allston, Brighton, Ashby, Ashburnham, Gardner, Royalston, 
Winchendon, Barre, Brookfield, Hardwick, New Braintree, North Brookfield, 
Petersham, Phillipston, Spencer, Templeton, Ware and West Brookfield, West 
Boylston and several Worcester precincts, voters will be asked, "Shall the 
state representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of 
legislation that would make possession of less than one ounce of marijuana 
a civil violation, subject to a maximum fine of $100 and not subject to any 
criminal penalties?"

In Amesbury, Newburyport, Salisbury, Georgetown, Groveland, Haverhill, 
Merrimac, Newbury, Rowley, West Newbury, Andover, Boxford, Methuen and two 
North Andover precincts, voters will be asked, "Shall the state 
representative from this district be instructed to introduce and vote for 
legislation making possession of marijuana a civil violation, like a 
traffic ticket instead of a criminal offense, and requiring the police to 
hold a person under 18 who is cited for possession until the person is 
released to a parent or legal guardian or brought before a judge?"

And in Athol, Erving, Gill, Greenfield, Orange and Warwick, voters will be 
asked, "Shall the state representative from this district be instructed to 
vote in favor of legislation that would allow licensed farmers in 
Massachusetts to grow Cannabis hemp a crop with a 1 percent or less, THC, 
the active ingredient in marijuana for legitimate agricultural and 
industrial purposes?" 
- ---
MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart