Pubdate: Sun, 27 Jan 2008
Source: Boston Herald (MA)
Copyright: 2008 The Boston Herald, Inc
Contact:  http://news.bostonherald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/53
Author: Laura Crimaldi
Cited: Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy 
http://sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/
Cited: Massachusetts District Attorneys Association 
http://drugsense.org/url/izxVV8V2R8
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Marijuana)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/soros.htm (Soros, George)

MARIJUANA MEASURES HEAD TO VOTERS, HILL

Penalties for Possession Would Be Reduced

A showdown over whether to relax penalties for having small 
quantities of pot is advancing to Beacon Hill on two joint fronts as 
the state's top prosecutors and anti-drug activists vow a fight in 
the latest marijuana slugfest.

The push to introduce a civil penalty system for pot possession is 
coming in the form of a ballot initiative almost entirely bankrolled 
by billionaire Democratic heavyweight George Soros and a Senate bill 
that has languished in the Legislature for years.

"The voters of Massachusetts are for this," said Whitney A. Taylor, 
chairwoman of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which is 
sponsoring the ballot effort to decriminalize the possession of less 
than an ounce of pot.

Soros, a frequent contributor to marijuana legalization and 
decriminalization efforts nationwide, is the biggest contributor to 
the committee, according to records from the state Office of Campaign 
and Political Finance. The ballot campaign raised $429,000 in 2007, 
most of which came from a $400,000 donation that Soros made in June, 
records show.

"We're opposed to it in any form because it's just an inappropriate 
message to be sending, particularly to young people," said Cape and 
Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe, who will lead an 
opposition effort as president of the Massachusetts District 
Attorneys Association.

Supporters of a civil penalty system say that criminal prosecution 
for minor amounts of grass wastes millions in law enforcement 
dollars, has minimal impact on drug use and creates a criminal record 
that could affect an offender's housing, employment and borrowing 
opportunities for life.

Civil penalty opponents assert that lessening the consequences for 
pot possession sends the wrong message to young people, gives an 
advantage to drug dealers and poses a public health risk.

A conviction for marijuana possession comes with a maximum prison 
sentence of six months, fines up to $500 and up to a year's loss of a 
driver's license.

Several studies by a Harvard professor, Jeffrey A. Miron, whose work 
is partly funded by marijuana decriminalization backers, show 
prosecutions and jailings for small-scale pot cases cost the state 
about $130 million a year.

The ballot committee proposal would create a civil penalty system 
that includes a $100 fine, enrollment in a drug awareness program and 
parental notification for offenders under age 18. A similar bill 
sponsored by state Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen (D-Somerville) calls for a 
$250 civil fine.

The ballot committee cleared its first hurdle toward getting before 
voters in November last month by submitting more than 81,000 voter 
signatures to Secretary of State William Galvin, Taylor said. They 
needed to submit a minimum of 66,593 signatures.

Lawmakers now have until May 6 to act on the measure. If they don't, 
another 11,099 voter signatures must be gathered by June 18 for the 
proposal to make the November ballot.

"Since the '60s, this is something that I've paid attention to. The 
approach of the laws has been ever more draconian and that just 
defies common sense," said attorney Thomas R. Kiley, who drafted the 
ballot proposal.

William Breault, chairman of the Main South Alliance for Public 
Safety in Worcester, said he will be writing to lawmakers and police 
chiefs to defeat the effort.

"It's a bad idea," Breault said. "It affects people from blue collar 
neighborhoods to places like Weston. It has ramifications. I don't 
think we should send out the message that it's acceptable." 
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake