Top law enforcers call for 'no' vote on marijuana question

Local law enforcement officials began a final assault yesterday on Tuesday's ballot question to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana, saying a "yes" vote would only empower drug dealers who resort to guns and violence in their trade.

"Drug use, drug abuse, and drug sales are synonymous with other types of criminal activity," Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said yesterday, pointing to a table of guns and bags of marijuana that, he said, are found in tandem in Boston's street crime.

"Where you find drug dealers, you also find guns and violence," he said. The ballot question "gives those dealers a loophole to enterprise while punishing the neighborhoods where they're going to do business."

Davis spoke at a news conference yesterday at police headquarters in Roxbury, joined by local drug detectives and Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, Berkshire District Attorney David Capeless, and Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe, president of the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association.

Today, state Attorney General Martha Coakley plans to join with Somerville officials in that city and health experts to decry the ballot question, known as Question 2.

The proposal would decriminalize the possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, making it a civil violation with a $100 fine rather than an offense warranting arrest.

The question's supporters say state law would still maintain penalties for growing, trafficking, or driving under the influence of marijuana. Juveniles arrested with any amount of marijuana would have to undergo a drug awareness program.

But the proposal would ensure that the possession of small amounts of marijuana will not taint a person's criminal record, punishment supporters say is too severe.

Under state law, anyone convicted of possessing even a small amount of marijuana faces jail time, a fine, and a lifelong criminal record that could be accessed by potential employers, housing agencies, and student loan providers. People seeking a specific job, such as a teacher or law enforcement position, could be excluded because of a record.

Yesterday, the group supporting the question with a $1 million campaign - the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy - released a statement saying its review of data shows that three-quarters of those arrested for marijuana possession in the state are 24 or younger. The group believes those young people are most likely to have their careers affected by a criminal record.

But law enforcement officials say no amount of marijuana is insignificant considering the violence and potential for drug abuse that comes with it.

Conley noted that Boston's black ministers sent letters this week to their counterparts across the state urging opposition to the ballot question, stating that the small amounts of marijuana found in suburbs are a product of the drug dealing and violence in Boston's neighborhoods.

An ounce of marijuana, officials said, could sell for up to $600 on the street and could be sold as 50 to 60 marijuana cigarettes. The decriminalization of the drug would only empower drug dealers to continue in their trade, they added.

"Those retail-ready packages are available to anyone with an allowance," Conley said. "Question 2 is really the 'drug dealer's protection act,' " Conley said.

Milton Valencia can be reached at mvalencia@globe.com.