Voters showed landslide-margin support for decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana, but law enforcement officials say the way to implement the law passed as Question 2 on Tuesday's ballot isn't laid out clearly. Under the ballot initiative -- approved by 65 percent of voters and prevailing in nearly every city and town in the state -- those caught possessing an ounce or less of marijuana would be subject to a $100 fine, similar to a speeding ticket, but no jail time. [continues 1020 words]
Funding axed, 125 communities still offer drug abuse-prevention program With a gun strapped to his hip and a radio mike perched on his shoulder, the veteran cop in dark blue wanted some answers. The sixth-graders had plenty. They raised their hands and shouted: "Alcohol!" "Tobacco!" "Marijuana!" Officer Stephen Plympton nodded, apparently satisfied that the 16 kids in his DARE class at Norfolk's Freeman-Centennial School had absorbed the names of the "gateway drugs." The DARE antidrug program is still alive in many communities west of Boston, despite questions about its effectiveness and the elimination of its state funding. It has survived thanks to local funding and private donations raised by police officers who continue to believe it's worthwhile. "If you can affect one kid's life, I think that's worth its weight in gold," said Plympton, who has been the DARE officer in Norfolk for the 14 years of its program's existence. "I can honestly say that's happened." The program is also continuing in Plainville, Lincoln, Watertown, and at least 17 other Globe West communities. [continues 1294 words]
