Pubdate: Sat, 13 Dec 2008 Source: Daily News Tribune (Waltham, MA) Copyright: 2008 GateHouse Media, Inc. Contact: http://www.dailynewstribune.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3562 Author: Bill King Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v08.n1114.a11.html MORE SMOKE WITH NEW POT LAW Who is Stan White from Dillon, Col., to send in a letter "DARE should change it's tune" (letter, Dec. 12) talking about our state laws re: marijauna. If you google "Stan White Dillon, CO" you'll find he's an activist writing letters to many newspapers in support of using marijauna. If I recall correctly, his was not the first out-of-state letter on this issue in a local newspaper. However, most of the folks I know who voted to de-criminalize marijauna did it because a) they bought the message that marijuana arrests were unnecessarily clogging our courts, and b) because they didn't think a kid's life should be ruined with a felony for smoking a joint. But look at what's happened since - outside interests suddenly taking a shining to Mass. schools saying they don't know what to do (if smoking in the boys room gets you in trouble, why wouldn't smoking a marijuana cigarette?). If this simple law of decriminalization results in us attracting pot-heads the world over to Massachusetts (please Amsterdam - keep them all over there) and leaves our schools unsure on whether it is right or wrong, then let me be the first to say I support RE-criminalizing pot. I just hope our legislature can move quickly to put some reasoned restrictions within the framework of this law so that points a) and b) above are met, without the state attracting the write-ins and interest of pot-heads across around the nation. Bill King - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin