Pubdate: Wed, 07 Nov 2012
Source: Harvard Crimson, The (MA Edu)
Copyright: 2012, The Harvard Crimson, Inc.
Contact:  http://www.thecrimson.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/794
Authors: John P. Finnegan, Steven S. Lee, and Zohra D. Yaqhubi

MASS. VOTES TO LEGALIZE MEDICINAL MARIJUANA

While voters across the nation cast their votes on hotly-contested
national races, a resounding majority of Massachusetts residents voted
yesterday to legalize the use of medical marijuana. Physician-assisted
suicide, the other issue put to voters on the ballot, remained
contested until the early hours of the morning. At about 2 a.m., The
Boston Globe predicted a narrow defeat for the measure.

Question 3 on voters' ballots, entitled "Medical Use of Marijuana,"
included provisions to legalize cannabis use by patients with
"debilitating medical conditions" and sanctions the creation of 35
medical marijuana dispensaries across the Commonwealth.

Over 60 percent of Massachusetts voters yesterday declared their
support for the initiative, which was heavily favored to pass
according to polls by The Boston Globe and Suffolk University.

"I just don't really get what the big deal is," Laura E. N. Gullett
'16 said. Gullett, who voted in favor of legalization, noted that
marijuana is considered a viable treatment for many diseases and was
pleased the law had passed.

Federal law categorizes marijuana as a Schedule I drug, meaning that
it is not officially recognized to have any medical benefits. However,
with the passing of Question 3, Massachusetts has become the
eighteenth state to permit the use of medical marijuana within its
borders.

Attorney John S. Scheft '81, an opponent of medical marijuana
legalization, expressed serious concern about the text of the
provision, pointing out that the new law expands the definition of
debilitating conditions to include "other conditions as determined in
writing by a qualifying patient's physician."

Now that the law has passed, Scheft said that he is not sure what the
next steps are for medical marijuana opponents. He said he plans to
closely watch the regulations that the Massachusetts Department of
Public Health creates under this new law.

Voters in the state also weighed in on two other ballot initiatives,
including a law that would legalize physician-assisted suicide and a
law regarding the sharing of automobile repair information.

Question 2 on voters' ballots, entitled "Prescribing Medication to End
Life," was down by a slim margin at press time. The initiative would
have allowed physicians to prescribe medication to end a
terminally-ill patient's life at the patient's request.

The ballot question enjoyed strong support from many Harvard Medical
School faculty, but was ultimately defeated after a strong campaign by
opponents. Students who voted yesterday voiced their disappointment at
the results of the referendum.

"Overall, terminally-ill patients, if they are going to die, should
have the right to ask a doctor to end their life for them," Jennifer
W. Leung '16 said. "If someone is terminally-ill, they shouldn't have
to go through that pain."

The final ballot initiative, which requires automobile manufacturers
to share information necessary for repairs with independent mechanics
and customers, was voted into law by a landslide.

The new legislation, entitled "Right to Repair," is a stricter version
of a compromise bill passed by the Massachusetts legislature earlier
this year, forcing automobile companies to comply with regulations
within the next two years.
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