Re: An Inconvenient Truth (Aug. 1.) Hurrah for this excellent and clear eyed look at Winnipeg's drug scene! Decriminalization has been recommended for some time by many informed and thoughtful voices. Surely by now no thinking person can deny that the traditional enforcement methods of the war on drugs are not working and never will. Selling and promoting the use of drugs (other than alcohol, nicotine, and possibly marijuana) should remain illegal. In fact the penalties for this should be increased and these laws enforced vigorously. It is the seller-end of the market that has to be changed to decrease the criminals' vast profits and their need to develop new markets. [continues 270 words]
In an election season full of turmoil, marijuana proved to be a central - and hotly debated - issue among Massachusetts voters. On Tuesday, however, the conversation was more one-sided than many had expected. Voters in the Commonwealth overwhelmingly expressed their support for Question 2, a ballot measure aimed at softening penalties for people found possessing up to an ounce of marijuana. As of 1:50 a.m. Wednesday, with 87 percent of precincts reporting, 65 percent of voters chose to weaken the penalties, while 35 percent preferred leaving the law unchanged. [continues 763 words]
