Pubdate: Tue, 11 Nov 2008 Source: Boston Globe Magazine, The (MA) Copyright: 2008 Globe Newspaper Company Contact: http://www.boston.com/globe/magazine Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3506 Author: Carol Rose Note: Carol Rose is the Executive director of the ACLU of Massachusetts, Boston Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08/n1008/a07.html Voters got it right Massachusetts residents got it right when, on Question 2, they voted overwhelmingly to turn possession of small amounts of marijuana into a civil violation rather than a criminal offense. So it was disappointing to see the Globe editorialize that the law will fail unless police are permitted to demand that a violator produce an ID upon demand ("A misguided joint initiative," Nov. 7). The Globe's scenario is entirely speculative. There are many laws that establish civil violations, including smoking in public and not keeping your dog on a leash, but almost none of these civil violations allows the police to demand, "Your papers please." Indeed, the Globe is unable to point to any instance in which enforcement of those civil laws and their penalties is hampered by the absence of an ID requirement. At a time when state and local governments are stretched thin by financial crises, the people got it right when they voted to focus our scarce law-enforcement resources on serious crimes rather than minor infractions. Our Commonwealth can't afford to take up the time of police, prosecutors, and the courts dealing with matters that the overwhelming majority of Massachusetts voters believe should not be crimes. - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin