Over the past several weeks, I have spoken with hundreds of voters regarding the issue of medical marijuana, many of whom voted "Yes" on Question 3, all of whom now believe the law is vague and subject to exploitation.

They worry that marijuana will become readily available to those without legitimate medical needs, yet not comfortably accessible by those who may benefit from its medical use. All have expressed a desire to ease the suffering of those with debilitating conditions, but want to do so in a responsible, rational manner.

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WORCESTER - The Worcester Housing Authority - through a pilot program expected to begin early next year - will ease its rules to allow some recovering substance abusers with lengthy criminal records to obtain local public housing.

WHA officials said the program, "New Beginnings," will initially provide four men working to turn their lives around with a chance at stable housing.

"Each day, we balance the need to keep our (WHA) communities safe and secure with the need to give people a second chance," WHA Executive Director Raymond V. Mariano said.

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Last month, Massachusetts joined 17 other states in legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes, acting on a large body of evidence scientific and anecdotal that it is useful in treating a wide range of illnesses. Even some who led the opposition to the ballot question agreed marijuana has legitimate medical applications.

That puts the state not only in opposition to federal law, which considers possession of marijuana for any purpose a criminal offense, it presents a conflict on a matter of fact. For 40 years, marijuana has been classified as a Schedule I drug, which is defined as having no medical application.

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NORTHBOROUGH - Will Massachusetts' new medical marijuana law have consequences beyond comforting ill patients?

During a relatively quiet campaign on the voter referendum, opponents of the proposal, including law enforcement officials, warned that legalized medical marijuana would lead to increased pot use by juveniles, addiction to other drugs and more driving accidents.

The debate over these potential consequences has raged in other states where conflicting studies have been attacked by advocates on both sides for the studies' assumptions and methodologies.

One review of federal statistics after California legalized medical marijuana, for example, concluded that 1,240 people were killed in traffic accidents in that state over a five-year period where the driver had used marijuana. The data also showed that half those drivers were also drunk at the time, and the test for marijuana usage could not pinpoint if the drivers were high at the time of the accident.

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Regarding Richard M. Evans' Dec. 16 oped ("Marijuana: What next?"), the voters of Colorado and Washington state have made it clear the federal government can no longer get away with confusing the drug war's collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a success. The drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees.

If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to deter use, prohibition is a failure. The United States has double the rate of marijuana use as the Netherlands, where marijuana is legal. The criminalization of Americans who prefer marijuana to martinis has no basis in science. The war on marijuana consumers is a failed cultural inquisition, not an evidence-based public health campaign. It's time to stop the arrests and instead tax legal marijuana.

Common Sense for Drug Policy

Washington, DC

[end]

On January 1, 2013, our new medical marijuana law goes into effect, but only as to doctors and patients.

Dispensaries await licensing by the Department of Public Health after rules have been issued and the worthiest non-profit entities have been selected for licenses to cultivate and distribute medical marijuana to patients whose doctors approve. Initially, there will be a minimum of 14 dispensaries and a maximum of 35, statewide, with at least one, but no more than five, in each county.

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TAUNTON - The City Council wants to make sure downtown Taunton doesn't become known as a legal pot zone.

Three years after a methadone clinic opened at 66 Main St. despite an outcry from local elected officials, the City Council is taking steps to block the possibility of a medical marijuana clinic from following suit.

The council voted Nov. 27 for city planning/zoning/conservation director Kevin Scanlon to provide information for ways to restrict medical marijuana treatment centers in the city.

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It's going to take fresh thinking to address the scandal at the state drug lab without making Massachusetts budget woes even worse. Unfortunately, however, most of what we're seeing so far is the exact opposite: a business-as-usual approach, with an enormous (and growing) price tag.

As soon as the state drug lab scandal broke, it became clear that the cost of reexamining thousands of cases would be huge. Early estimates caused sticker shock with numbers like $30 million or $50 million, to pay for courts, prosecutors, and public defenders to re-try thousands of cases based on tainted evidence.

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The Bay State may not have fully inhaled legalized pot yet, but the courts are already getting a lungful - and today the Supreme Judicial Court will pass around a series of THC-laden appeals that test the limits of marijuana rights in Massachusetts, and how far cops can go when they encounter green leafy substances.

When the smoke clears and the court's opinions are issued, they could "have a substantial chilling effect on our ability to keep our communities safe," predicted Wayne Sampson, executive director of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

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Amid concerns about medical marijuana being diverted for recreational use after it becomes legal Jan. 1, municipal officials across the area are pondering whether and how they might restrict cannabis sales within their borders. At the same time, lawyers and consultants specializing in medical marijuana issues are coming to Massachusetts to capitalize on the new law.

In Westborough, officials decided last week to draft a bylaw banning medical marijuana dispensaries, but they will insert a provision setting limits on where they could go, if an outright prohibition does not pass legal muster.

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Local communities are sending confusing messages about drug policy. A change in attitude to remove the stigma of marijuana use was evident in this month's election results, with Massachusetts becoming the latest state to legalize marijuana for medical purposes.

However, when confronted with the possibility of dispensaries in their own backyards, public officials and residents, at least those representing fellow residents, seem to be sending a different message.

Officials in some local cities and towns, such as Melrose and Saugus, are already considering zoning changes to keep distributorships out of town, or at least limit where they can be.

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A measure to legalize medical marijuana in Massachusetts may have won decisive support at the ballot box this election, but communities across the Boston area are rushing to craft zoning regulations to limit where the drug dispensaries can be located, or in some cases ban them altogether, before the new law takes effect in January.

Two suburbs north of Boston, Wakefield and Reading, have approved local bans, and nearby Melrose and Peabody are considering similar steps. Many other communities, including Framingham, Quincy, and Boston, are studying restrictions.

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WALTHAM - The state's largest physicians organization decided Saturday that it will not push to delay a new law allowing the medical use of marijuana. Instead, the group will lobby for tighter protections for doctors whose patients want to use the drug.

The Massachusetts Medical Society also will advocate to include medical marijuana patients in an online state database that helps doctors and pharmacists monitor over-prescribing of addictive drugs.

Some groups, including the Massachusetts Municipal Association, are calling for the Legislature to postpone the medical marijuana law, which takes effect Jan. 1. During a two-day meeting of the medical society attended by several hundred doctors, some physicians urged the organization to do the same, but ultimately, they decided the voters had spoken.

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This month's election saw 63 percent of Massachusetts voters approve Question 3, legalizing the use of medical marijuana in the Commonwealth. A number of municipalities in the state, however, have begun to change their zoning laws to prevent the opening of new dispensaries near schools or in other public spaces. According to an article in yesterday's Boston Globe, some local boards and town councils, including those of Reading and Wakefield, have taken this a step further by enacting bylaws that ban the establishment of medical cannabis dispensaries.

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Now that the possession and use of marijuna for medicinal purposes has been given an emphatic approval by voters - including those in all four Cape Ann communities - local and state officials who almost universally opposed it are understandably grappling with how to implement.

But while state lawmakers say it will have to undergo some revision - and it no doubt will to meet legal muster - they must also realize they simply cannot weed out, so to speak, the intent or spirit of the measure that drew wide voter support. That should mean that at least one or up to five medical marijuana "dispensaries" must be made available for consumers in each county.

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A new law legalizing the sale of medical marijuana in Massachusetts will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2013. The law will allow 35 marijuana dispensaries to be opened in the state. Some communities are expressing concern over where these dispensaries will be located, according to a Boston Globe article Saturday. Many members of multiple communities said they do not want to see the centers established anywhere near their schools or churches.

While placing dispensaries near schools could create a legitimate concern, a policy that forbids distribution centers from being placed near churches or other areas where children might be seems unnecessary. Simply opposing the drug does not seem like a strong enough reason to prohibit a center from locating near you. Now that medical marijuana has been legalized, communities should weigh the impact its presence could have on children. Ward 5 Councilor David Gamache told the Globe he would address dispensaries the same way his district has addressed adult entertainment, limiting it to areas where there are no children, churches or schools and away from downtown and the Northshore Mall.

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WORCESTER -- The newly passed state medical marijuana law has city officials concerned about dispensaries being placed in the city and their effects on neighborhoods.

Illicit sales of marijuana are at the center of much of the city's violence, and police officials are concerned that the new law could mean an increase in targets for home invasions and other violence.

"The voters have spoken and the commonwealth will allow medical uses of marijuana," City Manager Michael V. O'Brien said. "That horse has left the barn. Now the devil will be in the details as to how these regulations will be drafted by the state and what controls, oversight and enforcement provisions will be contained within. Like all, we are very sympathetic toward all that face such medical conditions that warrant this type of medical treatment."

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MELROSE - Medical marijuana dispensaries would pose a threat to public health and safety, city officials said during a hearing Monday on a proposal to ban the facilities from opening in Melrose.

"These stores will create access to a drug that, despite the recent vote, continues to be illegal under the law," said Dr. Frank Brinchiero, a member of the Board of Health.

"This is going to be an attraction for a criminal element," said Police Chief Michael Lyle.

The two spoke during a joint public hearing of the Board of Aldermen and Planning Board at City Hall to consider a proposed zoning amendment that would prohibit medical marijuana dispensaries.

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Danvers - To the editor: On Election Day, Massachusetts residents went to the polls and voted by an almost 3 to 2 margin to approve the use of "medical" marijuana. This vote, however, did not change the science behind the health risks of smoking marijuana and its status as an addictive drug. DanversCARES' role as a prevention coalition is to educate the community about preventing drug use, particularly among teens, so we will continue to provide information on this topic.

When we look at the research and the medical information regarding the risks of marijuana use, we know that the following is true:

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RE "POT problems" by Tom Keane (Op-ed, Nov. 18): The voters of Colorado and Washington state have made it clear that the federal government can no longer get away with confusing the drug war's collateral damage with a comparatively harmless plant. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to subsidize violent drug cartels, prohibition is a success. The drug war distorts supply and demand dynamics so that big money grows on little trees. If the goal of marijuana prohibition is to deter use, prohibition is a failure.

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