Mass. voters OK decriminalization of marijuana

pass the dutchie to dee left hand side!!

Finally some understand the truth behind the usage of marijuana. Thank you mass voters!!

Unfortunately, one's record does not get cleared because the arrest still shows up on a CORI report. CORI reform is the next obstacle to tackle.

Way to go Mass! The rest of the country thanks you, and will reward you with additional tourist dollars. See you next summer!

Yah mon!

“They want to focus our limited law enforcement resources on serious and violent crimes."
Hmmmm I wonder if drugs have any correlation to violent crimes?

Ugh. The result of this vote sickens me. What's next? Less than 1 ounce of cocaine? Less than 30 tabs of acid? Less than a few rounds of illegal ammunition? Illegal substances are just that... illegal. Great message for kids.

People that smoke weed are probably less likely to be violent criminals, not more.

Ask ANY police officer - who is more violent? Drunks or stoners? DRUNKS EVERY TIME!!!

when does this come in effect?

"They warned it would increase violence on the streets and safety hazards in the workplace, and cause the number of car crashes to rise as more youths drive under the influence."

Hahah, yeah right. It will actually cause less probably. More people will be driving 15 miles/hr under the speed limit

CORI are you kidding me! People mixed up with pot don't need to be around kids period!

What's up with the "as many as dozens of marijuana cigarettes" comment? Let's get an objective journalist reporting here. Marijuana is a plant, not a drug!

i'll put one in the air for this news

Regardless of whether you think marijuana (or more generally, cocaine and other narcotics), the idea that an individual can get arrested for using a substance is absurd. When an individual makes a choice which poses no direct threat to others in society, they should not be able to be jailed.

I fully support VERY strict punishments for those that use drugs and drive, or for those that distribute drugs.. However, there really is no justification for the arrest of a drug user

Yes it should be legal to have under a oz of coke and 30 hits of acid, BECAUSE THEY ARE VICTIMLESS. The bullets have victims

Finally a move in the right direction. I'm sick of seeing people's lives ruined over something so stupid. Thank you Mass. voters.

I believe the great message to kids would be the one their parents give them. If parents are losing touch with there kids and not getting the correct message across the law will not matter.

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! Hey EAP....did you know that everything you mentioned has killed at least 1 person? Did you know marijuana is responsible for ZERO deaths? Enough with the ignorance already. Let the punishment fit the crime! It's a beautiful day!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!! Big win for everyone. :)

“They want to focus our limited law enforcement resources on serious and violent crimes."

Hmmmm I wonder if drugs have any correlation to violent crimes?"
_________________________________________________________
...and if you don't push the sale of this plant to the black market, violent criminals willing to break the law will be obsolete....

The (smart) voters of MA have spoken!

#2 - There would be no arrest, therefore no blemish on CORI report.

#4 - Show me a pothead who commits a violent crime, please.

#5 - Keep drinking your legal alcohol.

Its ABOUT TIME !!!
casual pot use is not a crime. common sense prevails....however jst wait and see what the Mass Legislature does to this one ! Remember the sales tax question????????????????????????

Ugh. The result of this vote sickens me. What's next? Less than 1 ounce of cocaine? Less than 30 tabs of acid? Less than a few rounds of illegal ammunition? Illegal substances are just that... illegal. Great message for kids.

In Islamic countries they stone you to death for sexing your donkey. I suppose you are against this as well? So what is it? Drugs or the donkey? I theenk we know which one you favor....

Great News ! If Alcohol is legal, then why would cannabis be illegal?
If the legislature overturns this, vote them out !!

best news aside from obomb boomaye

WOOOH!

A sensible proposition that deserved to pass. Note to State Legistlature: Don't mess with the will of the voters. Let this law stand for a couple of years to assess its effect. No more dumbass posturing on this issue. Note to "users": this DOESN"T mean you can drive while high.... use common sense, folks!

“They want to focus our limited law enforcement resources on serious and violent crimes."
Hmmmm I wonder if drugs have any correlation to violent crimes?
__________________________________________________________
Wow, you just don't get it. Once you take this plant off the black market, violent criminals willing to break the law won't sell it. They become obsolete.

EAP,

jaywalking is illegal. speeding is illegal. parking in a handicap spot is illegal. maybe we should fill the jails with these scofflaws?

Finally!

I love the slippery slope argument EAP. This is a substance that is less dangerous than alcohol yet is still illegal due to irrational point of view such as yours. First of all, marijuana will no longer be illegal. Secondly, to compare marijuana to coke and acid shows a lack of understanding of the nature of the substance. It is akin to alcohol and nicotine, consumption of which should be left to a person's own personal compass. To say what's next, coke, acid, ...etc. does not follow. As for the kids, please teach your kids values and decision making skills so they can make their own informed decisions. If they want to try marijuana, fine,when they are adults and old enough to form their own opinion and do it responsibly.

“They want to focus our limited law enforcement resources on serious and violent crimes."
Hmmmm I wonder if drugs have any correlation to violent crimes?
__________________________________________________________
Wow, you just don't get it. Once you take this plant off the black market, violent criminals willing to break the law won't sell it. They become obsolete.

It "removes the threat of arrest, jail, loss of student loans, loss of driver's licenses, and other sanctions for possession of an ounce or less of marijuana. Instead, a $100 fine, similar to a speeding ticket, would be imposed." It "ends the creation of a permanent record (CORI) and barriers to housing and employment. Police would be freed up to focus on serious crimes, rather than arresting 7,500 people annually for marijuana possession. Taxpayers would save $30 million a year in arrest costs. All other marijuana-related crimes, like sales or DUIs, remain untouched. Stricter than current law, juveniles would have their parent(s) notified and must complete a drug awareness program and community service. Question 2 would not increase marijuana use. Eleven other states have similar laws and have shown no increase in marijuana use." Finally.

Can't wait to see if the money saved from prosecuting pot users will have a noticable effect on the state.

EAP, you need to relax with a nice joint, I'd be happy to pay your $100 fine if your that stupid to get caught! - Lighten up and light it up!! =)

None of those measurements are relative. I'm pretty sure its a hefty criminal offense to possess any amount of cocaine, and if you have an ounce you are more than likely distributing, an ounce of cocaine is alot of cocaine. 1 tab of acid is a federal offense. I am not quite sure of what you mean by illegal ammunition? Guns dont kill people, people kill people.

i guess it's safe to say happy 4:20 y'all

Thank you Mass., I'm from a town where it is decriminalized in our city but not decriminalized state wide. Thanks for a more sensible approach! Much appreciation from Columbia, Missouri (Mizzou). Thank you

a historic moment.

Its about time the punishment fit the crime for this victimless offense. Why should students have financial aid - and the likelihood for a great education - taken away for the petty crime of smoking pot?
To those who complain about kids getting the wrong message - it is YOUR DUTY, as parents, teachers, and law enforcement officers, to spread the message of responsible decision making. It should be the benefits of sobriety (read: not the punishments of intoxication) that persuade our population to say no to drugs.
Do not make the students pay for what the state can't seem to teach.

Oh good. Because obviously not enough kids were smoking weed before.

Sorry for posting twice. I am for decriminalization. However, I am embarrassed by the comments of some posters. To say there will be more people driving at 15/mph is disgusting (along with any other moronic comment). This doesn't excuse idiot behavior. I am for possession and responsible use, but, I hate being associated with persons who have no clue how to be responsible or just speak to cause a reaction. Please grow up. You make those of us who are responsible and partake look like immature and irresponsible like yourself.

Yeah I can remember when I got in that drunken bar fight high on some kush. lol get real gramps, Jim try this, go smoke a J and tell me whether you want to beat someones head in, or sit n watch TiVo'd episodes of Jeopardy, k?

I'll tell you what though, if the state repeals the voice of the people, it would be the first instance of widespread violence and rioting because of weed in the history of violence or weed.

Weed is no way as harmful as cocaine is. It is a natural substance that has been growing before without the help of man and all man has done with it is harness its good and use it in order to relax the body without having to become highly addictive to drugs like pain killer. In my opinion i think that weed should be legal over tobacco products because tobacco do cause serious harm to the body like cancer. Legalize IT BABY it would make the world better and more relaxed because who would want to fight a war if they were high?

Duuuuude!

It is about time.

So carrying pot is ok, but the moonbats voted down the right to buy wine at a grocery store last year? Get me the hell out of this state.

It is about time.

It's a sad day when there's a smoking ban just about everywhere in Massachusetts, even some apartments won't rent to cigarette smokers....and yet, they want to allow marijuana.....hhmmm..I wonder what the secondhand smoke from a joint does to someone??

@4

“They want to focus our limited law enforcement resources on serious and violent crimes."
Hmmmm I wonder if drugs have any correlation to violent crimes?

Let me fix that for you. "Hmmmm I wonder if drug *prohibition* has any correlation to violent crimes?"

Am I missing something or is that first sentence in the last paragraph a little weird. It says is meant to support the opponents but in all those cases the other offenses would be the reason for arrest and punishment anyway. Is there any good data from the other 12 states?

Oh, yeah, those people stoned on weed are definitely known to be MORE VIOLENT. Watch out now, they'll be, ah, they'll, eh, stand there smiling and laugh most likely. What straw-grasping politician concocted thie pipe dream? And lets ignore the basic fact that any kid who wants to drive stoned already can at will, new law or no law. Pot is as easy to get as beer, maybe even more so. Ah, common sense triumphed. There was no rational argument against this one, just the mandatory blithering of the paid authorities and silly ideas by people who wouldn't know a joint from a stick of insense.

Oh, yeah, those people stoned on weed are definitely known to be MORE VIOLENT. Watch out now, they'll be, ah, they'll, eh, stand there smiling and laugh most likely. What straw-grasping politician concocted thie pipe dream? And lets ignore the basic fact that any kid who wants to drive stoned already can at will, new law or no law. Pot is as easy to get as beer, maybe even more so. Ah, common sense triumphed. There was no rational argument against this one, just the mandatory blithering of the paid authorities and silly ideas by people who wouldn't know a joint from a stick of insense.

The next task is to write your state rep and insist they not modify, amend or void this referendum. Write Patrick too- he's proving to be a real loser but perhaps he'll act in the interests of the citizens and represent the consensus on this one.

It's about time soft drugs get treated properly. Now the cops can work on busting real criminals and drug cartels instead of teenagers and hippies.

woooohooooo!!!!!!!!! wish i still lived there. im proud of u mass!!!

> Hmmmm I wonder if drugs have any correlation to violent crimes?

Jim, you're absolutely right - as long as Marijuana prohibition remains in place it benefits those criminals who choose to get rich at society's expense.

Luckily Massachusetts just took the first step to ending this ridiculous "drug war". As we move closer and closer to full legalization you will continue to see the separation of those upstanding citizens who choose Marijuana as a safer alternative to alcohol from the criminals that profit from the drug war.

Who cares about the kids? It the parents job to raise them, not the voters.

I'm buying a Hummer because with all these people that are going to DUI now I want more protection on the roads People of Mass. should have thought about that first!

Is alcohol a drug? I think it must be...criminal s drink it all the time.
Since criminals drink and do crimes ...alcohol must be a gateway drug.

Personally I would rather smoke pot than drink...never woke up once hung over from smoking pot and my kidneys love me.

Thank you for voting to make pot a better drug than alcohol Massachusetts

“They want to focus our limited law enforcement resources on serious and violent crimes."
Hmmmm I wonder if drugs have any correlation to violent crimes?

Sure, drugs like PCP, Meth, Coke, etc. Not pot. You are an idiot if you think pot makes a person more likely to commit a violent crime. Smoke weed!

finally plants will be treated equally!!!!
and anyone on here who complains about this law needs to open their eyes and see that this is not going to bring gang wars to your suburban home. i guarantee this law will benefit someone you know. and the cocaine and acid comparison are ridiculous, if you want to see dangerous substances look in your medicine cabinet, if you have a prescription pain killer than you have synthetic heroin (its called a synthetic opioid for a reason). prescription pills kill 3x more people a year than heroin, cocaine and meth combined.
as the saying goes "whats of the earth has the greatest worth"
GO GREEN!!!!!

Thank god for Mass voters. I always put it this way, If you were moving into a new place, and you could move next door to potheads, or alcoholics, which would you choose? Potheads hands down right? Why? Because alcoholics are noisy violent animals and potheads like to watch cartoons and eat junkfood.

marijuana - a substance smoked that is naturally occurring ... tobacco, same, alcohol?? more dangerous than marijuana, yet it's still legal ... hmmm, a drunken bar or a smokefilled marijuana room? which do you think will be more problematic? EAP, did u know that tobacco is illegal ... for KIDS ... and alcohol is illegal ... for KIDS ... duh... so because those things are legal for adults, we're sending kids a message that they should do it all the time too? and Jim - ummm, what violent crimes have you ever heard of being because someone smoked marijuana?? maybe crack, meth, heroine, ALCOHOL ...

Jah - better take your face out of the bong and check your stats. Ignorance indeed. Deaths aside, this is about making it okay to break the law. Is it okay to rob a bank if you only take $1,000? Okay to commit assault if you only break the guy's nose? Okay to have just a "small" stash of child porn? Sorry, I think it sucks.

Are you that ignorant? ...Alcohol has been legal for years and has caused many deaths not only from car accidents but also from ALCOHOL POISONING! (aka "overdose") ...all marijuana does is make people happy and mellows them out (and is also physically impossible to overdose on)! ....Does anyone even know how marijuana was made illegal? Lies, racism, and fear ...look it up if you don't believe me...haha Peace!
ONE LOVE!!

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeessssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

Good job mass.

To the idiot who thinks that marijuana is even slightly related to violent crimes...you definitely never really studied the effects of marijuana. It is the drunks and hard drug users in the US that commit the violent acts, not marijuana users who would much rather be on the their couches with the little debbies not bothering a soul. Consider that...
Not to mention, what is the point of our violent crime laws???...to hold people accountable for their actions. If one immature person decides to drink too much red bull and rob a store, then we punish him for robbing the store, not for drinking too much red bull. We need to be held accountable for our ACTIONS, not our personal consumption of anything! And anyone who blames drugs for their problems needs to look in the mirror and ask themselves who made that choice to put the drug in their body. If you can handle the effects and not hurt anyone in the process, then all the power to you...If you can't stand the rain, stay inside.

Education made this vote possible. I just hope our government honors the peoples choice.

So, Big A...you say that smoking marijuana is not addicting? Then why do so many who smoke it end up, maybe not for years but still end up, addicted to harder stuff, cocaine, etc...?? It is addicting, and it destroys brain cells. I really hope those that banned cigarette smoking due to second hand smoke go after this for the second hand smoke. I'd hate to see Mass turn into another San Francisco.

way to go mass voters!! Alcohol is far more dangerous than marijuana, what's worse? an angry aggressive drunk or a munchie, laughing stoner? c'mon, let's be serious. People believe that pot is so terrible merely because the government has said so for decades, yet alcohol, which causes waaaay more trauma to the body is legal....at least this is a step in the right direciton

> Oh good. Because obviously not enough kids were smoking weed before.

So Brian, you think that this measure makes weed *easier* for kids to get? I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you are simply out of touch with today's youth, rather than a complete idiot.

I work with high-school kids and here's what they tell me: beer is a lot harder to buy because liquor stores card them to a strict degree. Weed on the other hand, is easy - because it comes now from drug dealers who are selling illegally anyway - what do they care?

So if you *really* care about the kids - you should support full legalization. It will take the profit away from the drug dealers, who will then lose interest, and you can bet those who have a license to sell will check the IDs of buyers. Think about it.

hey # 4, marijuana isn't a drug, its a plant, it just grows that way. if you happen to set it on fire, there are some effects. but that's not the same as drugs, drugs you have to do things to it; add baking soda, water, stir it up. i don't know the recipe, im just sayin'...

"Did you know marijuana is responsible for ZERO deaths?" You are absolutely stupid. Learn your facts before you post. There was a woman in Tennessee who was a baby sitter and drove to a friends house to smoke weed and left the baby in the car. She was so stoned that the baby actually froze to death in the car.

Also, I am sure of other stories that has caused death due to Marijuana.

LOL @ # 21 (Sooo true!)

Deaths aside, this is about making it okay to break the law. Is it okay to rob a bank if you only take $1,000? Okay to commit assault if you only break the guy's nose? Okay to have just a "small" stash of child porn? Sorry, I think it sucks....
________________________________
that is a terrible argument.

If you thought that was a good rebuttal, then you are stupider than any pot head i know.

Deaths aside, this is about making it okay to break the law. Is it okay to rob a bank if you only take $1,000? Okay to commit assault if you only break the guy's nose? Okay to have just a "small" stash of child porn? Sorry, I think it sucks....
________________________________
that is a terrible argument.

If you thought that was a good rebuttal, then you are stupider than any pot head i know.

If George Washington were alive he'd be rolling in his grave.

> this is about making it okay to break the law.

Oh EAP, maybe you didn't notice, but possessing Marijuana is no longer a criminal offense in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts! There's a reason robbing banks, assaulting people and possessing child porn are crimes - they all have victims. Just as there's a reason the good people of Massachusetts just made Marijuana possession *not* a crime - it's nobody's business but their own. Certainly not yours!

This one is a slap in the face to inner city blacks because it plays into the hands of the gang bangers dealing the stuff in the streets. They're the ones who are going to profit from this because they'll be able to deal small amounts with impunity so you'll see the dealing out in the open, which just further contributes to the urban decay.

It's short sighted on the part of the voters -- most of whom wouldn't venture into Roxbury or Mattapan if their lives depended on it.

EAP your ignorance is astounding. Just because something is illegal does not make it automatically wrong. If you look into the history of marijuana laws you would realize that they were racially charged. The history of marijuana laws are fraught with lies. They following quote was propaganda used to trick people into its illegality.
"There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others."

END OF DAYS!!!!

But the CHILDREN! WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN?

(Bravo, MA - now we'll see if the state legislature ignores the will of the people yet again)

Lots of people seem to be taking this as marijuana now being legal. It's not (sadly). It's just that the type of offense has been reclassified from criminal to civil... speeding, which causes accidents & death, is not legal... but the penalty is a fine, not a record & jail time. That's what's happening here with marijuana. Driving while high remains a serious offense.

I don't think this sends a pro-drug message, anymore than speeding tickets send a pro-speeding message. It's just recognizing the severity of a particular crime and the amount of resources we want to expend on punishment/correction as well as limiting the government's reach.

Bravo, Massachusetts voters! Unfortunately, our beloved herb is still illegal and distributed through a criminal market. As a country, we need to recognize that the War on Drugs has failed because of its unjust purpose - pretending that the forms of intoxication offered by alcohol, caffeine and nicotine are morally superior to that of marijuana is simply misguided and promotes the kind of nonsensical circular logic that has perpetuated this "anti-drug" dogma: it's illegal, so it's wrong; it's wrong, so it's illegal.

The worst part is, keeping drugs illegal is what's keeping them dangerous. Take responsibility: educate yourselves. If protecting children is truly what is most important to you, don't leave drugs in the hands of criminals who don't ask for ID. Marijuana is, as ever, easier for kids to obtain than alcohol. Ask yourself why.

Re: Comment #41

"If George Washington were alive he'd be rolling in his grave."

Was he buried with pot and papers?

Marijuana is a natural, unchemically altered substance that has been used for hundreds and hundreds of years. It is a natural sleep aid and stress reliever- I'd rather smoke a bowl then pop some junk made in a lab on a restless and stressful night. Marijuana also has less health risks then alcohol does. Smoking a joint can be dangerous due to the inhaltion of the paper, not the pot. However devices such as vaporizors or even a water pipe or hooka make for a less toxic consumption. Let's not forget all the treats you can make with it as well!

Marijuana use does not begat violence. The only time it would would be a situation in which it is laced. Pot should be legal, bottom line. Go ahead and research the benefits of it before you go saying otherwise.

Comparing pot to hard or even Rx drugs is asinine. Alcohol definitely is worse for society and the individual then pot is. Don't just regurgitate what was stuffed down your throat in middle school health class.

Think for yourself- do your research before forming an opinion.

Finally,
alcohol makes people act stupid and crash cars
crack, cocaine, and heroin are leathal..
Pot relaxes you, subdues feelings of anger and stress and fosters a creative thought process. It has always been lumped into the category as crack and harder drugs. "gateway drug" BS!!! people try hard drugs when they are drunk 9 out of 10 times. Think of the money this country could make off of this benevolent crop, and get the buisness out of drug dealers hands, which is right where marijuanna laws put it.

EAP.... it is the fundamental nature of our society to question our laws, and that is exactly what we accomplished with the passing of question 2. This question is not making it okay to rob a bank, or keep a stash of child port, it allows you to keep a small amount of marijuana without the fear of being punished for it for the rest of your life. It is not making it okay to break the law, it is merely decriminalizing the punishment for the law. Let me break it down for you.....
If marijuana doesn't kill anyone, which is proven....then what basis to we have for as harsh punishment as we did in massachusetts. Your generation may have been brainwashed from an early age to believe that marijuana does HORRIBLE things to people...but that is all a bunch of out-dated and under researched bullshit. Every study that has come out in the last 20 years has shown that the effects of marijuana are LIGHTYEARS less than what was originally "believed." Go ahead, I challenge you....do the research...actually learn about the subject that you are claiming to be an expert on. Then, come back and tell me your stats. Marijuana doesn't kill people, stupid people kill people. And to call someone ignorant when you yourself is ignoring scientifically proven facts is ridiculous.

"If George Washington were alive he'd be rolling in his grave."

What, was George a Goth?

If Thomas Jefferson were alive, he'd be applauding.

EAP, next thing you'll see is the pot smokers wanting to make it legal to smoke,tey won't be satisfied with just getting a fine, they won't want to be punished at all. This country is going downhill fast.

To EAP,

Equating marijuana use with actual, serious crimes is a bit of a stretch don't you think? Can you make a fair, sound argument?

How about we take your tax dollars and fund police work for the very things you name: child porn/abuse, rape, assault, murder, etc. It's a much better use of the money than hassling college kids bothering nobody, don't you think?

Please get rational.

Mazel Tov

Natural herbs growing from the earth should be legal everywhere... Go Mass

> This one is a slap in the face to inner city blacks

Nope. sorry scotbo, but this is the first step in repairing the HUGE damage that has been done to inner-city black communities by the so-called "war on drugs". Removing the risk removes the profit which removes the criminal elements from the equation.

Once we stop the drug war for good, then the inner-city areas will finally get the peace they deserve.

Type your comment here...absolutely despicable

ask yourselves this when you argue against this prop, How many people do you know who smoke weed are violent, irresponsible or otherwise unlike you!
i know more than a handful! i didn't start smoking weed until i was 18, i waited because of the effects it has on your mind and body while still developing! Thus i took the responsible path, most teens think the same way and if they don't they are already smoking cigs, so again it all comes down to the judgment call of the individual! i also have never seen someone peer pressure to smoke it and from experience(which is the only true facts of life) i have found no reason for this to be opposed!

People who think this will cause more people to drive stoned (and that they should buy hummers) is absolutely absurd. I guarentee there is someone on a blunt cruise in every single town of Massachusetts on every single night of the year. If anything, this new law will decrease smoking while driving; Now, people are going to go down to the town park, sit on a bench, burn the J, hit up 711 (stimulating the economy), go home, sit on the couch, watch tv, and eat their chips and salsa. 1st step to legalization here. Proud to be from Mass.

EAP - Are speed limits laws? Is it ok to break those laws? If you get pulled over for going 5 MPH over the limit do you think it's more sensible to get a $50 fine, or be hauled off to jail and have a criminal record? This is a more accurate analogy to this change from a criminal offense to a civil one.
Just because the punishment has been changed, doesn't mean it's now any more OK to break the law, now it's just not as likely to ruin someone's life if they do get caught.
As for children, as it's been said, it's up to the parents to teach their children how to be responsible for themselves. Under the current law, any cop that catches a kid with pot basically has two options, let them go, or run them through the system. If your child does hang out with the "wrong" crowd, or becomes "rebellious," or simply "experiments," and they get caught, which would you rather have happen? A) The cop gives them a break and lets them go, with you never knowing. B) The cop arrests them, you have to get a lawyer and deal with courts, criminal record, no financial aid so you have to pay full tuition for their college. OR C) The cop sends a written citation to you with a $100 fine and your child has to enroll in a drug awareness program and do community service?

Deaths aside, this is about making it okay to break the law. Is it okay to rob a bank if you only take $1,000? Okay to commit assault if you only break the guy's nose? Okay to have just a "small" stash of child porn? Sorry, I think it sucks....
1. This really is a horrible argument. Like Jeff says, just because something is illegal doesn't make it wrong.
2. "If George Washington were alive he'd be rolling in his grave."
If he were alive he wouldn't be in a grave...

Thank you, Massachusetts!

For a teenager weed is a LOT easier to get than beer.

You want to curb teenage pot use? Legalize it and sell it only in liquor stores 21 and over with a valid ID.

Think about it because prohibition never worked.

George Washington and Thomas Jefferson both grew hemp. Ben Franklin owned a mill that made hemp paper. Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence on hemp paper.

"Make the most you can of the Indian Hemp seed and sow it everywhere." -President George Washington, 1794

I'm sick of feeling like a criminal for wanting to smoke one joint in my own home for pain relief and stress relief, thank you MA!

Thank God this question passed. For someone to be jailed, tried, convicted, and then have a record for possessing marijuana is a joke. I smoke weed nearly every day. It helps me relax, it helps me de-stress, expands my imagination, and most importantly, it makes me happy. For most people who do smoke weed habitually, this is a great day in this twisted state of Massachusetts. Now we can feel at ease that we'll never have to worry about being jailed or convicted of doing what makes us feel good. Marijuana is a great gift from God and our Mother Earth. Now that we have decriminalized it, Our next step will be to Legalize it.

I've never gotten any violent urges under the influence of pot.

Decriminalize all drugs and tax the hell out of them. Now there's no crime. More $ to the Commonwealth. Fewer criminals in jail = less $ to maintain them, build new jails, hire personel. Those who become hopeless drug addicts can be helped with the new money in the coffer. Those who refuse treatment can be arrested as dangerous to selves and others.

You want to create criminals, pass a law. You want to empty jails and give people a break, repeal some of these stupid laws.

Have to disagree Joe. Ever been to Kingston, Jamaica? That's what inner city Boston is going to eventually resemble. BTW, the murder rate there is sky high.

There's a reason that the inner city black clergy was so strongly against this.

But who cares, in our lilly white suburbs where you don't have to worry about getting hit by a stray bullet on your way home from work, you can smoke a J and not get hassled -- which you could still do before this passed.

pot heads.....thats what this state has become

Well, now there will finally be an explanation for all the bad drivers. (Especially in those hellish roundabouts.)

Ummm, before we all get too happy:

"But the Legislature could amend or repeal the new law, as they've done with some prior laws passed by the voters, said Emily LaGrassa, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Martha Coakley."

We need to hold our legislators responsible for making sure this law gets on the books. It looks like the current enforcement establishment will try to subvert passage of this law approoved by the people 2 to 1. If you really care, make sure they carry out our wishes.

Now I can get high if I want without concern that I could have a record that would preclude me from many jobs. But I still have to go to my local DEALER who is part of a large criminal enterprise rather than be able to buy my pot from a legal, controled,TAXED enterprise that would operate along the lines of a liquor store.

Nothing is black and white... all issues are always hades of gray.

The opponents say that these people are arrested for other reasons such as driving under the influence, etc. This law isn't saying you won't still get busted for all that crap, the marijuana possession just won't show up.

the inconvenient truth is that the ozone is bad cause i've been smoking all the trees

If pot was legal and regulated, there would be no pot related violent crime. period. the reason there is violence is because of the black market pot is associated with.

are people in the city shooting each other over cigarettes? alcohol? i don't think so...

regulation, not prohabition is the answer to the problem

Its far less harmless then alcohol is and to think that people are going to act violently if under the influence is ridiculous. This is the type of ridiculous propaganda they used back in the 70's and 80's saying that your more likely to kill and do crazy things high. The only thing i've wanted to do high was relax and or enjoy time with my friends. The majority of people have tried it at some point and your nieve to think otherwise

First off I think it is wrong to group marijuana with acid, ammunition and cocaine. Marijuana cannot kill you. come on. Hardline drugs should never be decriminalized because those are the drugs that ruin lives and increase violent crimes. I feel as though EAP, you have never smoked marijuana before and just because the law says it is illegal, you make the direct connection that marijuana is as dangerous for you as heroin, crack, or any other hard drug. If you want your comment to hold any weight, you should either come from direct experience with the issue or research it thoroughly instead of making an outlandish statement.

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I think there would be a very strong and swift backlash directed against anyone on Beacon Hill who tried to stop this from becoming law. This was not a close vote. The People have spoken, and overwhelmingly they want the current marijuana laws reformed.

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Especially in light of current scandals,the citizens of Massachusetts would have a "zero tolerance" policy for any Beacon Hill politician who went against the will of the People.

That was my skull!

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I think there would be a very strong and swift backlash directed against anyone on Beacon Hill who tried to stop this from becoming law. This was not a close vote. The People have spoken, and overwhelmingly they want the current marijuana laws reformed.

Especially in light of current scandals,the citizens of Massachusetts would have a "zero tolerance" policy for any Beacon Hill politician who went against the will of the People

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Especially in light of current scandals,the citizens of Massachusetts would have a "zero tolerance" policy for any Beacon Hill politician who went against the will of the People.

Finally.

Ive traveled to Jamaica and your comment is absolutely ridiculous. Kingston has corrupt police, a political war, and has had a lack of powerful government since its freedom. Marijuana is readily available there, but hate to break it to you, Kingston is bad because the abundance of cocaine (right across from Columbia) crack, crystal meth, and ecstacy. Not marijuana, get your facts straight. Ignorance is a terrible quality. Not to mention that 80% of Kingston is safe to walk through and is primarily a shopping and tourist district. Smoking relieves stress, It doesnt provoke murder. Watch out for the stray bullets! Ha

I challenge anyone who commented above against the decriminalized possession of an ounce or less of marijuana to come back here in 4 years and give any facts that the change has had a negative affect on our society. Give us all those figures of increases in violent crime, of increases in teen drug use. I challenge you to prove your point with real facts.

I guess here is an interesting scenario; now that it is decriminalized, what if someone chooses to smoke next to you in, let's say, Boston Common or on the T because the worst that can happen is they're fined $100? If you getting secondhand smoke causes you to fail a drug test for work from someone who doesn't care about being fined $100 (plenty of rich snobs in Boston), that's horrible. I agree someone's life shouldn't be ruined by a criminal record, but they need to set fines high enough to avoid people blatantly breaking the law in public. $100 fine is ok, but it should probably be more like $500 to work properly. And I agree that it's scary that in this state weed was decriminalized in less time than it was made legal to sell wine in grocery stores...

I hate the "Illegal things are simply illegal" argument to this law. Yes, marijuana is illegal. The point is that we are CHANGING the law. Yes, we can do that. We live in a republic. We have the power to create the laws we have to obey. This measure shows the ability of people to think for themselves, come to their own conclusions, and create change based on consensus. This is a beautiful thing.

I have my degree. I have a very successful career. And I smoke herb every day. I choose to do this instead of drinking alcohol. After much research, I feel that it is a safer alternative than drinking. After all, God created herb, while man has made alcohol....who do you trust? I think The Bible tells us all we need to know:

"God said, "See, I give you every seed-bearing plant that is upon all the earth, and every tree that has seed-bearing fruit; they shall be yours for food." Genesis 1.29:

"He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth; And wine that maketh glad the heart of man and oil to make his face to shineth." (Psalm 104:14-15)

"And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielding her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." (Rev. 22:1-2)

I don't think Mass residents had pot smoking hippie tourists in mind when this vote passed. Stay home next summer.

omfg its about time... hopefully all states follow suit now

god darn kids with their reefer smoke, dang ol country goin to shambles man.....

I am not a user ,my friends are therefore i am for decriminalization. I didobn't want to see them thrown in jail for just sitting on a couch watching a movie high. However I do not want it legal. if it is legal my friends argue it will become like tobacco in the sense that the company that grow it would start adding all the poisons they added to cigarettes.

I personally was recently (less than three months ago) a habitual pot smoker, meaning at least once a day, usually more, yet I have never tried any other drug, or smoked a cigarette in my life. I got a new job and had to stop. and I did, just like that. havent smoked up in months. I challenge a habitual drinker, or cigarette smoker to do the same. Marijuana was made illegal because of ignorance and politics. decriminalization saves the state millions of dollars ($30,000,000/yr) for a victimless crime. as far as marijuana being a "gateway" drug, I totally disagree, I simply believe that if a person is open to trying a certain drug, they will be more open to others as well. It's a question of personal openness, not one drug leading to another. if that was the case, alcohol and cigarettes are the ultimate in gateway drugs, and since the state makes money on both, im fairly sure you will never see them being questioned.

God made pot
Man made beer
Who do you trust?

Many social problems have been attributed to the Prohibition era. A profitable, often violent, black market for alcohol flourished. RACKETEERING HAPPENED WHEN POWERFUL GANGS CORRUPTED LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. Stronger liquor surged in popularity because its potency made it more profitable to smuggle. The cost of enforcing Prohibition was high, and the lack of tax revenues on alcohol (some $500 million annually nationwide) affected government coffers. WHEN REPEAL OF PROHIBITION OCCURRED IN 1933, ORGANIZED CRIME LOST NEARLY ALL OF ITS BLACK MARKET ALCOHOL PROFITS.

It's high time!!

> in our lilly white suburbs

Speak for yourself scotbo - I live in Roxbury.

And no, I haven't been to Kingston, but I have been to the shanty-towns of Belize City where the dynamic is the same - the massive criminalization of drugs has empowered criminal gangs which in turns causes the militarization of the police forces. That's why we inna da ghetto suffer.

Remove the risk - you remove the profit. The criminal gangs *instantly* lose interest, the violence drops overnight. Your arguments are the very arguments against criminal sanctions on possession and cultivation - thank you for supporting our side. One day you and I shall share a (legal) joint together.

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

It's high time!!

yea yeah we finually did it now i dont have to goto jail or goto court anymore thank god i am so sick of paying court fees i am on drug testing now and cant wait to get off what does that mean if i got possesion and it was more then a oz does that mean i should go back to court and get my probation terminated?

Washington grew hemp, so I don't think he would be rolling in the grave right about now. He would be rolling something else.

#76 ....before you go calling people stupid please consider that your logical is extremely flawed. In your story about the woman in Tennessee...what killed the baby? Did the marijuana leave the baby in the car? No! The woman left the baby in the car. Maybe she left the baby in the car because she was smoking weed, maybe it was for a million other reasons. The crime that this woman committed is not smoking marijuana, it is neglecting her child. We have laws in this country that prohibit ACTIONS for a reason...and smoking marijuana by itself is not a violent act. And as we do not regulate the health of alcohol or tobacco users, we should not regulate the health of marijuana users. It is time you wake and, stop believing what you have been brainwashed to believe all your life and consider the facts. Marijuana is not a harmful drug, it certainly does not correlate with violent behavior, and it has yet to medically kill anyone in the form of an overdose. Punish the people for DUI, for robbery, for leaving their child in the car, or any other foolish thing they want to do...do not punish them for smoking something that is clearly favored among the MAJORITY of Americans. All of these ridiculous laws will fall when people finally wake up and start thinking for themselves, instead of being spoon fed the same lies they have been for almost a century.

Did you just compare owning marijuana to owning child porn, EAP?

Wow. I don't even need to say anything, think you just made my argument for me. Get a grasp on the subject or persist in delusion....your choice.

FACT
Cannabis was grown by most of the founding fathers of this country.
Cannabis makes a better fuel than any other substance on earth.
Cannabis makes a better paper than trees.
Cannabis renews the soil instead of destroying it like corn and cotton.
Cannabis is non-addictive, it actually has properties in it that help with addiction (cigarettes, alcohol, naro's)
Cannabis is not a gateway drug, ony reason there can be any correlation to harder drugs is because when people buy from a dealer the dealer may say "Hey I have some coke, you want to try it?"
Cannabis can not be overdosed.
Cannabis was criminalized because tobacco, alcohol, and pharm company's created "Reffer Madness", the government created a catch 22 with the MJ tax stamp.
Anti-Cannabis groups are heavily funded by the tobacco, alcohol, and pharm company's

decriminalization of reefer is not enough!!!
i support reparations for all whose lives have been sabotaged by the marijuana laws

It's about damn time... I hope the rest of New England follows suit.

what message to give to your kids? The same message you give them about drinking - in moderation and with consideration.

this was a very patriotic decison on the people of mass' part. this will help a lot of people in the long run. i don't feel that most pot users are criminals, nor are they pot heads. it's ok to do occasionally, and does less damage to you than alcohol does in the long run. if cigarettes and booze are legal, why not pot? government shouldn't be used to mother citizens, or to dictate what you can and cannot consume. well done!

Welcome to Massachusetts.

Don't forget to bring a towel.

I've lived in a Worcester-sized city in northern Holland for over a year now. Two observations:
The streets are so goddamn safe it's slightly annoying. The major crimes are bike theft and graffiti (very pretty, psychedelic graffiti). Crime problems in Jamaica are the result of poverty, not pot.
I can ride my bike as aggressively as a Masshole in an SUV and be fine, because the drivers are so timid and aware. I'm terrified to ride a bike on city streets in Mass.
Aside comment to 98, because it annoys me: "i didn't start smoking weed until i was 18, i waited because of the effects it has on your mind and body while still developing!" I just hope that if you think this way that you had the sense to refuse any ADD drugs, etc, that parents tried to force on you when you were younger. It's also absurd to assume that people stop developing at age 18. And no, your personal experience is not the only truth of life, so not all sensible people will see things your way or value the same things you do. I hope you have the sense to realize both these facts by the time you are 28.

Congrats potheads! Yeay, now there will be no more people in Mass. prisons for simple possession of small amounts of weed...wait a minute there aren't any now??

I've lived in a Worcester-sized city in northern Holland for over a year now. Two observations:
The streets are so goddamn safe it's slightly annoying. The major crimes are bike theft and graffiti (very pretty, psychedelic graffiti). Crime problems in Jamaica are the result of poverty, not pot.
I can ride my bike as aggressively as a Masshole in an SUV and be fine, because the drivers are so timid and aware. I'm terrified to ride a bike on city streets in Mass.
Aside comment to 98, because it annoys me: "i didn't start smoking weed until i was 18, i waited because of the effects it has on your mind and body while still developing!" I just hope that if you think this way that you had the sense to refuse any ADD drugs, etc, that parents tried to force on you when you were younger. It's also absurd to assume that people stop developing at age 18. And no, your personal experience is not the only truth of life, so not all sensible people will see things your way or value the same things you do. I hope you have the sense to realize both these facts by the time you are 28.

There were more drug users in 1900 than there are today. Our country was founded by potheads. What do you think our country's number one product was way back when? ...hemp! Our founding fathers were all hemp growers and pot smokers. How else do you think George Washington eased his tooth aches ...it wasn't with his prescription of vicodin.
It’s absurd to make an assumption that just because they change the law to decriminalize under a certain amount will then in turn create a mass accession of drug users. If anything it is people who abuse prescription drugs and stimulants that create the negative response to drug abuse. For those who are concerned about their children thinking it is okay to pick up a joint why don’t you just worry that YOU raised them to do the right thing.

Did you just compare owning marijuana to owning child porn, EAP?

Wow. I don't even need to say anything, think you just made my argument for me. Get a grasp on the subject or persist in delusion....your choice.

Did you just compare owning marijuana to owning child porn, EAP?

Wow. I don't even need to say anything, think you just made my argument for me. Get a grasp on the subject or persist in delusion....your choice.

Guess it's time to move back to Mass!

why would you comment on anything if you are as uninformed as you are. i understand that some of you are good people and believe that smoking pot is hurting the general public, however,how would you feel if everyone started commenting on the effectiveness of your job if they have never done the job? now i'm not saying smoking pot is my job, although that would be interesting as well as fattening... but if you dont know what you are talking about why talk. i know you think you know what you are talking about but that is what makes you super stupid. please all of you mental midgets relax get some tutoring on life and be happy...pot is not a terrible thing

Let me start with a way to go Mass. To anyone who believes that grass is anywhere close to coke, meth, acid, i urge you to test it out yourself. Since i started smokin, I have much rather gotten high than drunk. I always feel much more in control of myself when im high (aka im not stumbling, losing balance, slurring words, etc.) Second, anyone who has spent a night puking from alcohol overdose certainly can attest to how much it sucks. I have never smoked enough pot to end up puking, and to overdose you have to smoke something like two pounds in two minutes. I can barely smoke a gram in that amount of time. Finally, anyone who has gotten caught smoking can attest to the fact that what they were doing was harmless. If i sit in my house watching my favorite movie, why can i not smoke a bowl to go with it. I am an adult, and believe that i should be able to make that type of decision. Finally, the article lies when it downplays the amount of people in prison for pot. Check out the facts. Visit norml.org and at least hear what us, the potheads of america, have to say before you make a decision.
Lets go Mass. congress. Pass this into law

I do not partake, but friends do and I feared they might some day be caught up in some overzealous prosecution. It was a clear case of the punishment not fitting the crime. When cops are regularly not enforcing the law when they encounter violations that tells you that the punishment is unconscionably harsh. Irrational fears are not a good basis of law

The point of it is to save the state and citizens of the state millions on court fees and other rehabilitation programs that are more than usually required. Most all potheads arent hurting anyone, even themselves. Weed is the only drug besides mushrooms that just grows from the ground and is ready to be used. Cocaine and acid are terrible comparison to marijuana, as the preparation have many more variable chemicals added. Also, most pot smokers don't bother with harder drugs because the people who sell them usually are not as chill as their pot dealer, who also happens to be their good friend.

well the donut makers are not going to be happy about this one now there will be lay off off cops becasue no more details no more busts for penny crimes, means less cops less donuts needed..

keeps less out os jail and more time to focus on other crimes like all the shootings dope dealers and let the people be free to smoke they prescribe it to patient with cancer it has an affect tom ease pain and make your day a little lesss stressful teach your children about life just because its not a crime doesnt mean the children will be affected its the parents your kids learn what you sho them what you let them see here watch if your a resposible parent your kids will be okay you make there destiney not the laws

First off, thank God Obama won! Patrick, Coakley and the DA's all oppose this. Looks like an initiative to overturn this in the legislature will have some support, this is the way to go. The voters are wrong here-this will be harmful. Lets stop the whole lets get high BS and look at facts:
1.)Current penalties for 1st time marijuana possession in Massachusetts are perfectly fair-if you get caught more than once, I have no sympathy.
2.)Weed is a gateway drug, that is, it has been documented to lead to use/abuse of other drugs. A significant proportion of those arrested in this state do trest positive for marijuana use.

We are at a turning point in our country. It is so odd that for so many years this natural growing plant has been shunned from society. I am so glad I am young and can live as these times near, and I feel bad for those older that had to turn to alternative non-illegal substances like Alcohol, Ciggarettes, or Over the counter drugs. All these federally taxed substances can be addicting, lead to alcoholism and other mental diseases.
America's view on many aspects of life are severely sideways and the only way to go to the greater good is to truck through the rough times and speak your voice.

I have a dream that one day, man can enter life free to chose, as long as the choice made can only negatively impact thou making a choice. Because for many, life is beginning to get filled by too many years, and the years are filled with too little life.

I live in Denver where less than an ounce of marijuana is legal. If this law stands, watch out for the feds. Enforcement of the federal laws are being enforced and the harassment is actually higher than it was before the law was passed!

Hey Allan here's why you should shut your mouth and think about what the REAL matters in this world are. marijuana is NOT a drug and literally cannot take a life because of the substance. because someone abuses marijuana and makes a bad decision is not reason to say it is solely responsible. people die every day because of alcohol poisoning, drunk driving, lung cancer from cigarettes, but yet these things are all legal... when ABUSE takes place is when there's a problem. so if you and all your narrow minded friends can get their lives together, you can be more responsible.. now here's some truth:
- marijuana is NOT addictive and there is NO detox for marijuana in the WORLD: the reason is because you cannot be addicted to marijuana. if you don't believe me try to call a doctor and find a detox center and wait for some laughs
- wow.. one example of some inconsiderate girl who should never have been put in charge of the life of a child.. nice parenting
- IF the government taxed and sold marijuana the country would make OVER $15 billion dollars (Head prof. of economics at Boston University)
- marijuana has been shown in THOUSANDS of studies and cases to help people with cancer and other diseases
- students in college (even if they have a 4.0) can lose all financial aid and scholarships because they were caught with marijuana
- IF massachusetts legalized marijuana the state would save over $116 million dollars per year based on not paying to imprison marijuana users

If the legislature decides to overturn this ballot initiative you will see a massive march on the capitol. This did not pass 51% to 49%. It was 65% to 35%, an overwhelming majority. Almost 2 to 1.

Agree or disagree with question 2, the will of the people must stand. This is a democracy and the public has made their choice. This nation was not built on legislators deciding for the people. Their job is to uphold the will of their constituants. We need to remind them of that.

Better than any other part of this election was the Yes on 2 vote. FINALLY, a step toward honesty & reality. I am so sick of having to conceal this harmless activity. I can now smoke openly, and peacefully. No more criminal implication for a totally relaxed peaceful act. I bother no-one when I smoke, nor should they bother me. Thank you, glorious people of Mass...you have achieved a great step in the direction of peace and justice, and reality.

Finally, justice swings in the right direction.

Haha SMOKE UP PEOPLE. AND TO YOU HATERS, WEED IS NOT A DRUG IF ALCOHOL IS JUST A DRINK. NEVER LOST A FRIEND TO A HIGH DRIVING ACCIDENT.... LIGHT UP! THE PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. THANKS FOR VOTIN SENSIBLY MASSACHUSETTES

Allow me to correct some misinformation and misconceptions above.

Deb; to quote from an Institute of Medicine report from 1999. "There is no conclusive evidence that marijuana causes cancer in humans, including cancers usually related to tobacco use." Also: ""Epidemiological data indicate that in the general population marijuana use is not associated with increased mortality." I'm not going to claim it's good for your lungs, but there's no proof it's harmful.

@ #74: > "'Oh good. Because obviously not enough kids were smoking weed before.' So Brian, you think that this measure makes weed *easier* for kids to get? I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you are simply out of touch with today's youth, rather than a complete idiot."

uh, i thought that he was being ironic, droll in that stephen wright / mitch hedberg way.

Congrats to the folks in MA! I hope your victory isn't short lived.

well when i was a kid it was so easy to get beer. that at fourteen getting a beer was easy but all of those guys would say get lost if we asked for pot , beer is always easier to get for kids it's when the beer got hard to find pot comes around to takes it's place, from the friend of a friend of course , but mostly it was the beer the beer was easier to get and a lot cheaper and it still will be, a lot of kids don't have the money for pot

The laws against cannabis cause more harm then the substance itself

Marijuana was made illegal by a racist Harry Anslinger who i quote as saying 'Marijauana makes white women seek relations with negros'

The people have spoken, cheers to progreession, rationalism and logic.

just gotta say the cori thing sucks
you think computer people who had one pot charge in the past should be able to fix your schools computer.
or a health teacher should be screwed for trying what e preaches about.
no
its decriminalized not it should be off the cori.
and to you people who are sicked by this passing....im sickend that there are even people like you around, you probably go get wasted at the bar and then drive home but pot is evil right?

Ok so now we BEGIN the process. This prop is going nowhere if we don't tell our reps to keep their hands off it and make it law!

I'm sending my reps and Gov Patrick a nice snail mail letter.

To the idiots trying to dispute this vote: Marijuana is NOT cocaine, acid, or anything else, do not put them in the same category. Marijuana does not cause violent crimes. Some people cause violent crimes, but why should a non-violent offense suffer criminal penalties? what did they actually do wrong?? Do I really want to pay additional tax dollars to put some video game playing, hot-pocket eating non-violent offender in jail ? pffftt.. hell nah... pass that shit !

chyeaaaaaaa!!!! its about time!!! to all the people who say that this is a bad thing they should go play in traffic cuz people are going to smoke pot until there isnt any left to grow. I noticed a few people commented saying that since they legalized pot they might as well legalize cocaine and acid. Um let me think, how about no. Has anyone ever heard of anyone else dying of smoking a joint. If you have please honestly let me know because it would be news to me. Truthfully, anyone who hasnt smoked cannot say that it should be banned because they dont even know the effects. Anyone who can't drive their car stoned is a complete idiot. Alcohol is 100 times worse for you than smoking a blunt. I love reading the blogs that all the parents and older people post on this topic. Hahahaha i love it!!!!! These people should stop being the mayor of negative town and light up a blizz cuz a parking ticket is the same as having an ounce!!!!!!!!!

RE: Comments about CORI and "people who are mixed up w/weed have no business being around kids, period." Well, sir, I hate to break this to you, but I'm a high school teacher at a private school in Massachusetts, and I know very many of my collegues on both a personal and a professional level. Guess what? TONS of them- I'd say about 50% of the aides, who are in their 20's and 30's, and about a quarter of the teachers, smoke weed in their down time. I'm actually one of the rare ones who doesn't smoke pot there, simply because I found in college that it makes me too paranoid and I don't like feeling that way. I've also have several friends my age (ie: young) who are teachers elsewhere in massachusetts- daycare teachers, elementary school teachers, HS teachers- and many of them smoke pot in their homes in their freee time as well. How naive can one be? Smoking a J on a friday night in no way makes you a danger to children- give me a break with the conservative, ignorant views expressed here. And this is from a non pot smoker. Who thinks it's just fine. Get a grip on reality- no one has ever killed their child or beaten their wife while stoned- I pretty much guarentee you that. It's alcohol you should get rid of. Chew on that.

The most interesting part is to look at the breakdown of how the cities voted. Cleraly Boston, Amherst and Northampton are the most desirable for pot smokers. Can someone explain to me what the hell is up in Braintree? Its the one of the few cities in Mass where the law did not pass by a significant majority.

Also funny about my hometown of Longmeadow. They passed it by a 2 to 1 margin, but judging from my days at Longmeadow High, I'm surprised it wasn't more like 10 to 1!

Hey Big B: Arrest does NOT show up on a CORI but arraignment does. ;)

To #160

I think the donut companies will rejoice. Now more people will feel cmfortable maybe to go out in public while high. Then they will go to Dunkin Donuts.

i see some of the dumbest, most idiotic statements in this forum. first, most marijuana users use marijuana for its medical things and obviously its euphoric effects. but its not like im not safe to be around kids, like one person said in here. im no violent criminal and i love kids and its just like another perception changing thing along with alcohol or nicotine. most statements in here are absolutly ubsurd. ask most doctors, vaporized marijuana is in fact healthy for some who have certain problems such as terminal illness and brain problems and AIDS/HIV and a bunch of other things such as A.D.D or A.D.H.D which is controlled by such things a adderal or concerta which works equally as well itsits just another form of medicine, most statements made about marijuana are simple propaganda.

For the person which made the comment about anybody that smokes marijuana shouldn't be around kids.I have raised three girls one is a successful buisness person,one is in her second year of college and the other will start college next year. I also volunteered and coached six years in the YMCA and to this day I still have those kids come back to me and say Thank you for my help. Wake up America! Read about the history of cannabis educate America about the real facts about cannabis and the lies that have been told.Way to go Mass. and Minnesota.Wake up Texas! Wake up Tennessee

Citizens from across the country who have worked and contributed to this cause THANK YOU Massachusetts. Sadly, the work is not done. The white collar prohibition profiteers will attempt to sabotage the will of the people and preserve their sacred cash-cow. Now is the time to make your voice heard by your public officials and prevent their efforts to "repeal the new law." PLEASE, mail that letter, send that email, make that phone call today, tomorrow and as long as it takes to effect the will of the people.

To all you people who are bitching about letting us pot heads get out of trouble shut up. GO smoke a joint and be happy with us. people dont get addicted to weed like they do cocain and other drugs. so you losers who are saying whats next shut up and grow. one day your kids will be smoking pot to and i hope you find me with them.

budda budda budda

We'll see what The Governors Committee and Legislature has to say about all this next month. Unfortunately, The United States of America isn't as much for and by the people as you would hope. In the event this bill actually passes by January, it will be more than a win for the thousands of (especially young) cannabis smokers who will no longer be at risk of losing hope for a good life because they made a poor decision. It will be a win for Democracy and for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It will be a step forward, in my humble opinion.

budda budda budda

My father is a well known neurosurgeon in Boston. When I turned 21 and openly talked to him about marijuana use he told me that there is no concrete evidence to support any sort of neurological (brain) damage. Of course using anything in excess has potential downfalls. Burning a dubie from time to time is harmless. EAP and others, do you have any idea how dangerous prescription drugs are? My father said he would prefer i get high any day then take pain relievers or sleeping pills.

EAP, you are annoyingly ignorant. Research it. Try it. Talk to someone that's tried it. Educate yourself, then get back to us.

passa de dutchie ta de left 'and side

How can George Washington be alive AND roll in his grave
You must be really high....

This is a GIANT step forward. Thank you Mass!

-Chris

169>> "NEVER LOST A FRIEND TO A HIGH DRIVING ACCIDENT"
It's moronic statements like this that fueled the opposition to the bill. Yes it is only a fine now but that doesn't mean you can break other laws and you wont get in trouble. I have lost a friend to high driving because IT'S A STUPID THING TO DO. DUI is illegal; great pots a fine, I can beat my wife high now, I can be an arsonist high cause it's only a fine. This was passed so those effected b
penalties which far outweighed the crime could continue on with their lives, not so you could do stupid things.

125>> "What if someone chooses to smoke next to you in, let's say, Boston Common or on the T because the worst that can happen is they're fined $100? If you getting secondhand smoke causes you to fail a drug test for work from someone who doesn't care about being fined $100"

First second hand smoke does not show up in any drug test other than a hair follicle test and secondly if your at risk for second hand smoke does it matter weed or tobacco (granted one is laced with arsenic and other toxics). Also if you have ever been pulled over you know cops nail you for every possible charge they can so if you're smoking in a no smoking area (such as the T) you will be facing very high fines for breaking no smoking laws, $1000 minimum I believe and a max of 6 months in prison and $10000.

If we live in Massachusetts, who do we need to write to to ensure that this initiative is NOT amended when it is signed into law?

169>> "NEVER LOST A FRIEND TO A HIGH DRIVING ACCIDENT"
It's moronic statements like this that fueled the opposition to the bill. Yes it is only a fine now but that doesn't mean you can break other laws and you wont get in trouble. I have lost a friend to high driving because IT'S A STUPID THING TO DO. DUI is illegal; great pots a fine, I can beat my wife high now, I can be an arsonist high cause it's only a fine. This was passed so those effected b
penalties which far outweighed the crime could continue on with their lives, not so you could do stupid things.

125>> "What if someone chooses to smoke next to you in, let's say, Boston Common or on the T because the worst that can happen is they're fined $100? If you getting secondhand smoke causes you to fail a drug test for work from someone who doesn't care about being fined $100"

First second hand smoke does not show up in any drug test other than a hair follicle test and secondly if your at risk for second hand smoke does it matter weed or tobacco (granted one is laced with arsenic and other toxics). Also if you have ever been pulled over you know cops nail you for every possible charge they can so if you're smoking in a no smoking area (such as the T) you will be facing very high fines for breaking no smoking laws, $1000 minimum I believe and a max of 6 months in prison and $10000.

This is a very important first step toward ending this crazy prohibition on marijuana. It did not work for alcohol and does not work on marijuana. This is a true benefit for those who use marijuana and will have no negative effects what so ever on those how choose not to. Proud to be a MA voter

I hope it goes well for you in Massachusettes. They passed the same law in Texas in 2007, but it stated that it was up to the officer to ticket or arrest. All officers with the exception of 2 counties either do not know about the passage of the law or are instructed to arrest and ignore it. If they find even a bowl's worth it is jail time as usual, years of probation and a haunting criminal record.

SO how does an employer determine the results of a drug screen required for employment, when the law says it's ok to carry an illegal substance??

"But the Legislature could amend or repeal the new law, as they've done with some prior laws passed by the voters, said Emily LaGrassa, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Martha Coakley."

if they amend or repeal this law in a way which makes it a serious offense to smoke or possess a small amount of weed, then this state government ought to be changed. there isnt one good argument posted here that in favor of keeping marijuana illegal. keeping cannibus illegal will increase crime over time. legalize cannibus. it really is a wonderful plant regardless of whether you smoke it or not. the male plant can be used for a variety of different things. it is a renewable resource. stop listening to what everyone is saying; go out and read an unbias book or two on cannibus and you will see what i mean. this plant shouldnt just be legalized, it should be cherished and used to its full potential. good job voters. dont let the government take away your rights.

Good, common sense does work sometime. Now lets legalize it and tax it. You will never stop the use of it EVER! For those that do not use, Change the channel and spare me the gateway Crap!

Why is everyone trippin on this its a good thing, weed should of never been illegal in the first place. First if anything they should do something about drinking seeings how a numerous amount of people die each year from that, but whens the last time you've heard someone dying of weed. Dont worry ill wait.......... thats right NEVER weed is less harmful then wine and spirits are so, Good job MASS for finally doing this you have made some many people happy. And no I dont think is promoting drug use, its just helping out those pothead feel not as nervous when they go on their "beats"So its a good thing!

alcohol related deaths are much higher than that of weed. it doesnt happen like the antiweed commercials say- kids get high. 1 kid finds a gun. "coooool look what i can do...BOOOM" kid dies.
i get high and sit around playing music, videogames or go out to the bar and drink. never when i am high do i want to fight or do mailicious things.

So what happens with paraphenelia? Under the current laws, if you got arrested for papers and had no weed, you could argue they were for rolling your own ciggs, but what if you have a small ammount of weed and papers? Can they bust you for paraphenelia? I'm thinking a pipe or bong, you're going in regardless of possession.

This is really awesome! So glad myself, and obviously most of Mass. voted yes!! Marijuana is a plant, God put it on the earth for a reason. Enjoy it people get high and be responsible :) smoke a phattttty!!! YEAH, I am so happy about this.
This will benefit everyone, now there will be cops available to help with real crimes, not wasting there time with arresting people for smoking a joint or what have you.
I say- We legalize pot, sell it in stores and tax it. There we go, the government will make some money off of it, its a win win.
Thanks for reading, go ahead and argue my post!! Id love to argue my point more:)

This is really awesome! So glad myself, and obviously most of Mass. voted yes!! Marijuana is a plant, God put it on the earth for a reason. Enjoy it people get high and be responsible :) smoke a phattttty!!! YEAH, I am so happy about this.
This will benefit everyone, now there will be cops available to help with real crimes, not wasting there time with arresting people for smoking a joint or what have you.
I say- We legalize pot, sell it in stores and tax it. There we go, the government will make some money off of it, its a win win.
Thanks for reading, go ahead and argue my post!! Id love to argue my point more:)

The stuff is less harmful than alchohol.......when the people are aloud to choose they tend to be smarter than the law makers...big shock there.

The fact that people oppose this is ridiculous. Relax guys. This country will always move forward to the right direction. It's natural. Now that we have a foot in the door, DO NOT LET IT GET SHUT OUT. Get your letters in. Make sure that the will of the people is not silenced.

If you scroll, up there's a post by EAP? that guy needs to get his head ot of his ass, this is a great thing, not too waste all that time and money on harrassing people for what has been an herbal medicine for centuries? wow. weapons and drugs have nothing to do with a grass in the ground.

for the person who said whats next its ok to carry cocaine and acid you are an idiot. You have clearly never done any of those drugs and pot is a totally different drug and it should not even be considered a drug. Those are hard core class A drugs that have serious effects to your CNS and make you unable to make choices good or bad also Alcohol is far more dangerous than pot will ever be. And I am sure you drink. When you are stoned from pot you know whats going on, you are just more relaxed and hungry what a bad effect, being happy, then hungry, then sleepy. Maybe more people should smoke pot maybe the world would be a better place you won't ever wake up the next morning not knowing what you did last night, your not gonna get into a fight cause you are to relaxed and happy and you def won't get in an accident cause your prob not even going the speed limit and people who are stoned are more aware drivers. So thank you Mass for passing this law and I hope RI follows soon. Thank you

My vote counted. Hooray for me! If the government would only control the distribution of drugs instead of leaving it to illegal drug dealers they would save billions of dollars since they wouldnt have to provide for all the people in prisons, they could make money from its taxes or just control it all together and make full profit for more important things suchs as school, poverty and helping other countries in poverty even. Not to mention with its legality the value would drop dramatically and people would be less likely to commit serious crimes to obtain them!

THE TRUTH WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL AS WAS EVIDENCED LAST NIGHT

Take a big toke for Mass. today people, they've earned it.
Especially liked that part about the attorney general and everyone else's against opinions. Give me a break, more stoners would sit at home and be lazy than beating their wives and kids because their favorite scotch went up in price.
Marijuana is just like any other drug, if it takes taxes and regulations to get it legalized, I'm all for.

Hopefully the UK next

The legislators are lawyers. Lawyers make money out of "defending" you from the law. What does this tell you about what is going to happen to this ballot question response? Killed! The politicians don't give a damn about the people's will. I hope I am wrong.

dui? are you kidding me? how many people on pot have caused accidents? how many people on pot commit violent acts? because when i get high i turn into a monster....yeah a frickin cookie monster!!! are we serious? at least someone whos stoned knows whats going on if and when they hit something....someone on booze doesnt know until 3 hours later when they sober up. ridiculous....ridiculousssssssss. weed is fine. and i think all the uptight conservatives should try it.

I call greens!

YES!
Here's a good question.
How many First Time Voters voted for marijuana decriminalization?
I'm in college and we took a poll for 2 different classes
of the combined polls, 2/54 students voted against decriminalization.
either way 65% are for it, and 35% against it. Next election, we can fight to legalize it.
DECEMBER 4TH, EVERYONE CELEBRATE WITH FRIENDS AND GET HIGH AS KITES!

I just want to say this is a step in the right direction. However this should not encourage you to less responsible with recreational use. Practice what you preach people. I agree with the majority of the opinions posted here, but it is very important to prove our case with practice. Show that the stereotype of a marijuana user is wrong. Voicing your opinion on the matter is great, but for the sake of the cause, use spell check and proper grammar people.

nothing shows up on your cory, because there is no arrest. that's the whole idea, possession of up to an oz is not a criminal offense, it's just a civil fine, like failing to make a proper turn signal, or jaywalking. read up.

MI actually stands for Michigan, not Minnesota...but it's a common mistake.

finally a step forward against prohibition

Thank you NORML, Mass has spoken, Finally after 40 years I can have some respect for my police and goverment, (How could I have any respect for the courts and police while they imprisioned and destroyed millions of americans for so silly a law ) I will No longer live in fear every day of loosing my home ,kids and job, I am no longer a criminal, now I will no longer call the police the terriorists.A great day for all. Thank You again for all you do.

"Jah - better take your face out of the bong and check your stats. Ignorance indeed. Deaths aside, this is about making it okay to break the law. Is it okay to rob a bank if you only take $1,000? Okay to commit assault if you only break the guy's nose? Okay to have just a "small" stash of child porn? Sorry, I think it sucks."

I didn't make it all the way through the comments here, so if this has already been addressed forgive me. EAP--better stop trying to come up with pithy retorts and check your facts. This is not "making it okay to break the law," hence the term "DEcriminalization." You presented no relevant argument at all in this post. When you rob a bank you are stealing what is rightfully somebody else's, there is a victim. When you commit assault you are causing bodily harm to somebody else, there is a victim. When you support child pornography you are exploiting a child, there is a victim.

There is no victim to the consumption of marijuana, the only victims are victims of the distribution process or of irresponsible consumption. As long as there is marijuana people will continue to smoke it, and it is not the place of the government to tell them not to. Case and point: prohibition. When people were no longer allowed to purchase alcohol did it stop them from doing so? No, instead it lead to a rise in organized crime, and instead of hardworking citizens profiting from distributing alcohol, criminals fattened their wallets.

If instead of focusing on the impossible task of eradicating marijuana, maybe the government should focus on making it legal so they could cut off an important source of income for criminals, as well as providing a means of controlling the distribution of marijuana to minors (I know for a fact that it is far easier to find cannabis when you are underage in massachusetts than it is to find alcohol, because when you need to go into a store to purchase it your id is checked, and the average marijuana dealer has no such scruples), as well as providing further tax money to help support the police fight real crimes.

Sorry for how long this comment was.

I think that with all of the jail overcrowding problems we are having in Michigan, we too should decriminalize marijuana. We just passed prop 1. (Medical use)

hey eap

do you realize that when this nation was founded marijuana was not only legal, but it was farmed as a commercial crop
Benjamin franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and get the George Washington himself, were all cannabis farmers

the only reason marijuana is illegal is because it's a cheap effective source of, fuel, fibers, and medicine and of course the oil, textile, and pharmaceutical companies can't have that now can they
And if you had any knowledge of marijuana you would know that it has no corellation to violence
no risk of overdoes
and in most cases leads foo fewer car accidents, simply due to the fact that if a stoner can even be bothered to drive, they're certainly not going to be driving 80 miles per hour

First off I want to say thank you to all the MA voters who voted YES on 2. I'm a senior in college, and feel that this a great step in the right direction. Marijuana is completely harmless compared to alcohol and some people just don't understand that.

It is important that those who don't like these results understand that Marijuana is NOT in the same category as other substances such as acid and cocaine. So many people are making these comparisons, but the cease to realize the reality here; Marijuana is NOT a dangerous substance to use as compared to those other substances mentioned above. It's effects are increased hunger, increased happiness, and eventually it puts a person to bed. I would much rather my children someday smoke marijuana and watch a movie while eating snack foods and giggling with joy while they sit on a couch at home, then drinking massive amounts of alcohol, putting their health in serious danger, and driving! The point is that for all of you people who are preaching against this plant, you are simply being ignorant and have clearly not done any research, or you would know that nobody dies from Marijuana, and it should have never been illegal in the first place. Relax all of you angry people, because a lot more people in Mass are going to ; ) . In conclusion, do some research on Marijuana, and learn that it is not a harmful, evil, or disgusting habit. It is a plant, that makes people happier, and more relaxed. And one more thing, its a substance here, but in California (SAME COUNTRY) it is a medicine.

On a side note, I am NOT saying it is a good idea to drive, just like drinking, it does impair you (not as badly) so DON'T DO IT!

To finish my rant about this topic, my final thought pertains to the argument that violent crime will increase. My simply answer to that question is....MARIJUANA DOES NOT MAKE PEOPLE VIOLENT, just happy and lazy.

"If George Washington were alive he'd be rolling in his grave."

1) George Washington was a large scale hemp farmer on Mt. Vernon.
2) If he was alive he wouldn't be in a grave.

You sound stoned.

66.) " Deaths aside, this is about making it okay to break the law. Is it okay to rob a bank if you only take $1,000? Okay to commit assault if you only break the guy's nose? Okay to have just a "small" stash of child porn? Sorry, I think it sucks."
Posted by EAP November 4, 08 10:34 PM]
You are so ignorant and clearly have no rational thought. how can you compare someone supporting a sick pedofile who traumatizes a child for life to someone who gets them self high to relax. It's not about making it OK to break the law, it is exactly the opposite. It is making it so people who enjoy weed aren't criminals . In fact, for me it strengthens the integrity of other laws since I am now not wondering why smoking a pplant puts someone in jail and gives them a record comparable to a violent criminal

Congrats to all you people who are proud of your mediocrity. I have never meet a single person who smokes weed that I look up to, strives hard to succeed in life, or generally tries to improve himself and his peers. Pot isn't the worst thing out there, but it definitely does not make you a better person or improve society. This just typifies what is wrong with America.

"If we live in Massachusetts, who do we need to write to to ensure that this initiative is NOT amended when it is signed into law?"
Posted by Jake November 5, 08 11:28 AM
-----
This is an excellent question. The people to talk to and who know are the folks at The campaign For Sensible Marijuana Policy. Their contact information is posted below. I notice that they are already announcing an affective date for the new law. I'm highly skeptical, but I'm just a dumb Texan and I'm sure we will be the last state in the union to come to its senses.
------
Question 2 wins 65% - 35%!
Thank you to all of our supporters across the commonwealth. Question 2 is officially the first marijuana decriminalization law passed by voter initiative; you've made history!

The new law will go into effect on December 4, 2008.

You can reach CSMP by phone at 616-712-2679, x 107, and by e-mail at info@SensibleMarijuanaPolicy.org.
If your message requires a response, a staff member will respond to you as soon as possible.

The campaign's mailing address is:
Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy
P.O. Box 130151
Boston, MA 02113

1. it is not a drug it is a plant occurring naturally that just happens to have an effect on your mind if you light it on fire. 2. the government should not be able to tell you what you can and can not put in your own body if it doesnt cause anyone else harm,
God made weed man made beer, who do you trust?

Hey BH , why so uptight? It's obvious you know nothing about relaxing and kicking back. Do you ever crack a beer and kick back to relax? I guess that would mean you're proud of mediocrity. There's a world of difference between someone who chooses to smoke an occasional joint and someone who smokes every day. Your attitude that if its wrong for you it's wrong for everyone is what's wrong with America. Happily the majority think it should be decriminalized and have used their vote to state their opinion.

"Congrats to all you people who are proud of your mediocrity. I have never meet a single person who smokes weed that I look up to, strives hard to succeed in life, or generally tries to improve himself and his peers. Pot isn't the worst thing out there, but it definitely does not make you a better person or improve society. This just typifies what is wrong with America."

BH--I would have to disagree, I tend to believe that people who make sweeping generalizations about large portions of the population based on their own limited experience present more of a problem to America than marijuana users. The fact that you feel entitled to make a comment about all of us typifies what has traditionally been wrong with this country; categorizing people by something so arbitrary as whether or not they choose to smoke marijuana and make vague accusations like "they never try to improve themselves or their peers" or "try hard to succeed in life" or saying that smoking marijuana and being a good role-model are mutually exclusive seems to be a problem.

Marijuana isn't some evil plant that corrupts human beings. The weed-smoking population is a microcosm of the rest of the population, just like the alcohol-drinking population, or the volkswagen-driving population, or the population who follows the nfl. You will find successful people, poor people, kind people, cruel people, and everything in between. Maybe you haven't met any of them, but I certainly have. Do me a favor and don't presume to tell me that a decision that I have made which has nothing to do with you makes me somehow inferior to you.

What is the penalty for purchasing through the mail after 12-4-08?

Well that is a step in the right direction, but it just doesn't completely make sense. The entire marijuana industry needs to be legalized, regulated and taxed; and it's prohibition totally repealed. Only then will a truly sensible policy have been instituted.
It is illogical to condone the use of a substance, while at the same time criminalizing it's production and distribution. Should we say it's okay for people to drink alcohol but then pay police officers to dismantle breweries and imprison their employees? No.
Cannabis should be produced and distributed like any other agricultural product, and absolutely nobody should be imprisoned for using any substance, so long as they cause no harm to another.

Life is hard enough in MA with all these taxes, crappy roads, insane traffic, zero parking, one way streets, tolls and shitty housing with absurd prices and lets not mention the horrible weather. If you piss off people long enough and make it illegal for them to relax, then your gonna have violence. Let the people smoke in peace. Drunks can get loaded at a baseball game and riot all over town flipping cars, running over people, setting fires and breaking windows but if a hippie sits in a park with a guitar and smokes a joint then he's a criminal and shouldnt be near children. Im okay if you make it illegal to smoke weed, but by your argument, then no more alcohol. Drunks def shouldnt be around children. For the record, most pot heads dont care much for drinkers because they are annoying and something always ends up getting broken when theres a drunk around. Weed gives people perspective, alcohol diminishes perspective. My dog smokes.

burn it up mon

Proud father of 4, successful computer programmer, enjoys long walks on the beach, seeks lighter civil penalties in New York for personal amounts of marijuana possession and cultivation.

The medical marijuana argument is a distraction from the real issue of liberty for personal recreational use. Lighter sentences are only a concession on the road to complete decriminalization federally.

The war on pot is a waste of taxpayer money and a violation of rights to civil liberties, period.

This decrim bill will make petty drug dealing virtually legal. That's fine with me, should bring prices down at the 1/8 and 1/4 ounce levels that many pot users buy.

Kudos to Massachusetts voters for taking this sensible approach. Hopefully someday there will be full legalization, cultivation, regulation and taxation of this useful and unique plant.

I've never felt "violent" under the influence of marijuana. Ever. To say this would increase street violence is an ignorant and idiotic statement.

Well, now that there changing the laws on DRUGS.......mabey Mass should go as far as eliminating the D A R E program from school or even lighten up on gun control. Way to go Mass.....good job on taken a step backwards on the fight against drugs. Our Kids thank you.

Well, now that there changing the laws on DRUGS.......mabey Mass should go as far as eliminating the D A R E program from school or even lighten up on gun control. Way to go Mass.....good job on taken a step backwards on the fight against drugs. Our Kids thank you.

* It is important to try to keep to the facts. The most important facts are that in the 11 states which have decriminalized so far there has not been an increase in use, there has not been an increase in crime, and there has not been an increase in traffic injuries and deaths. So in the testing ground of those states where decriminalization has already occurred, the results have been OK.
* It is important to recognize that this measure passed not by just a slim majority, but by a pretty significant margin. Clearly people recognize that simple marijuana possession should be discouraged, but should have a penalty which relates proportionately.
* The fact is that almost 25% of young people will have tried marijuana by the time they are 30. With this being a fact, what does it say that we would potentially saddle 25% of our young people with a criminal record?
* Decriminalization makes sense. The wide margin probably reflects the votes of many of us from the 60s and 70s who "survived" smoking marijuana and still become productive "straight" citizens.

Thank you for saving our children

Pot has never killed any one. Beer and other drugs have. All the government needs to do is sell a license to grow it and they would get some much more money then they do now.... Come on America Legalize Pot!!!!! Lets stand together and make this happen...

am with you legalize pot in manchester

First off, to all the ignorant people calling for the state to repel the voting public's wishes: keep in mind that the people voted 2-1 for it!!! 2-1!!! Now, i'm not going to dwell on the same things that i have read above for the last hour and a half, but i do have a question that maybe someone can answer here. Can, or does, anyone know of the interpretation of this law? If I walk, not drive, down the street while smoking a bone, what can i get fined/arrested for? Am I getting arrested, or am i getting fined $100? I would be more than glad to pay the $100 fine just to be able to walk from bar to bar in boston, and be able to smoke a quick bone with a buddy of mine, than to have to hide out behind a dumpster in an alley. Anyways, this is all theoretical, but it does have some merit. Anyone with a deeper understanding of this, please feel free to enlighten myself and others wondering the same thing. Thanx in advance, and way to go Mass, bout time!!!

i think that legalizing weed is not that bad, its not like you have a lot with you, you only have a small amount on you. There's 11 state raither than Mass that have legalized weed, so its not like its bad. But if you a teenager than you souldnt have weed on you at all. It's just another state do really do something about it, NH won't do this. Do you really think that its that cool to be able to carry a ounce of weed on you? Cause its not that important. But anyways good luck Mass and thanks for the advance.

Pot is way safer than alcohol and is only a beautiful plant. The stupid people of the mass government are not going to let it pass even though voters want it to be passed. 65 to 35 percent!! If you think weed is a bad thing you dont have a realistic perception on the world.

Good job MASS, hope NJ follows suit and stops the waisting of millions of tax dollars and hundreds of hours of police time that could be better spent handling bigger problems..Thanks for representing the east coast..

Finally sensible thought in MA.

For a simple plant that is less damaging then Alcohol.. it is about time. It was dumb to make posession of plant a criminal offense.
The social stigmas that so many have tried to attach to this simple plant are just wrong. People have been programmed to think a plant is evil when there are much worse and more damaging things in our world.
No one has ever died in the history of the planet from Marijuana. In fact ,it is almost impossible.
People have died from Acohol and even Caffeine.

as a ma resident i dont think this will change my marijuana use really at all accept i might be able to relax and enjoy it a little more without really worrying. In my opinion its my body ill do with it what I want. thank you massachusetts. i just hope people with petty repeat marijuana offenses either get let out of jail or have sentences greatly reduced. this will help the state save money and maybe help get the state jails to not overcrowd as much for such a stupid thing. middleton jail has actually taking and old vocational school and has set it up as a makeshift jail. i would bet any amount of money atleast 80% is petty drug charges. and probably alot of the marijuana.

Thank you for saving our children and not making them criminals

EAP is an uneducated person who for some reason has it out for the peaceful and happy people that smoke marijuana. For what reasons, I don't know but it is completely unnecessary. Mabye EAP dropped a friends bong and was forever ridiculed causing EAP to have a vendetta against stoners every where. The fact of the matter is decrim is a good thing and plenty of good people toke up. Example, my highschool friend has a 4.20 GPA high honor roll and captain of the football team and the kid smokes daily. Power to the people and God Bless America and Massachusetts

How Do you get this law passed in the State of Maryland.

Thank you for saving my children, they will not be called criminals,for opening thier minds to other people, cultures, ideas.and ideals,open minds understand others,so we can all get along, I can only hope my children are open minded enough to question and learn and grow into good citizens with the understanding that we are all different, corporate chemical drugs or Weed They someday will smoke and I will join them, (grow up)

For all of you who oppose number 2 think of this. I am an 18 year old kid from MA and im attending college and working full time at my job. I have never gotten in a fight or hurt anybody in my life. I have never stolen anything and i am one of the nicest people you could meet. I smoke marijuana everyday. It brings out creativity in people. If you think that i should be arrested and thrown in jail, kicked out of school and fired from my job for smoking marijuana at my house in the evening that you have very poor morale problems.

Thank you Ma. voters. Finally common sense prevails. I think i will relax and enjoy mother natures gift to a nice episode of Survivorman!!! Have a great night everyone!

Why is everyone arguing???

This is a happy time.
Enjoy it...with a nicely rolled joint :P

and remember kids...
puff puff PASS

It should be known that weed was once legal in the United States. It was made illegal by politicians who had a specific agenda. Its criminalization was not based on any scientific or medical findings (as everyone knows no one has ever died of marijuana overdose) but on Fear, Racism, Ignorance, Protection of Corporate Profits, Personal Career Advancement and Greed!

In the early 1900s there was an increase in the Mexican population in the West. The Great Depression also took place in the early 1900s. Of course, many white Americans were upset because there were no jobs and many immigrants would work for less money. Politicians realized a "difference" between the two groups was that many Mexicans smoked pot and had brought the plant with them.

Laws prohibiting weed were targeted at many groups including Mormons and African Americans. Lawmakers said weed made people "crazy" and there was a film made titled "Reefer Madness" in order to scare the youth away from the "harmful effects of weed"

Yes, it is illegal now, but the thing to consider is why? With a little history you will know that it was not for its actual "effects" rather than an agenda to further segregate this country.

IF ANY THING, ALCOHOL AND CIGARETTES SHOULD BE BANNED! THEY ACTUALLY KILL PEOPLE!!!!!

Hey "Posted by bama November 4, 08 10:13 PM" your statements are about as coherent as your stance on sensible marijuana policy......"sexing donkeys"?....how in gods name does that relate to marijuana policy?.....

Being a woman who was raised by die hard stoners, i don't see what the hub bub is about. I'm intelligent, kind, open minded, spiritual, level headed, and very well balanced. I'm rather mellow actually, and i don't need pot to be that way, but i support it because i was raised by stoners, and know they are honest hard working good people, like anyone else in this world.

Awesome! It better not be over turned.

I smoked a joint everyday from the time I was 19yrs until I was 30yrs... I never had any problems and it was only when I was home for the night and I knew I'd be going to bed soon. I woke up oneday and just didn't feel like smoking it anymore no other reasons involved. I just quit cold turkey. I did not have a problem stopping I just stopped.
Noone had died from smoking to much weed... I remember when I was in my 20's safe at home I smoked so much that night but all that happened was I fell asleep. I did not die!!!!

Most of my opinions have been offered up by other posters so I won't repeat.

Some things I thought were worthy of mentioning: question about employers and drug testing. Possession of small amounts is being decriminalized here. Has nothing to do with rules of employers. If they want to test you they still can and should. If they want to fire you if you test positive, they still can and probably (I gotta gives this one some more thought) should.

Smoking in public is probably not a good idea. The laws don't allow public drunkenness and shouldn't allow other forms of public intoxication. Your faculties ARE diminished and priorities ARE somewhat altered (famous munchies). If you're in your own home that's fine.

Driving under influence is driving under influence, period. I don't care if it's coke, cough syrup, or a joint. If you fail field sobriety test which checks your reaction time and motor functions, you shouldn't be driving.

To every one that is making the argument that this is worse for inner city blacks, stop and look at what is going on. Why is it that decriminalizing weed is worse for inner city blacks? because the inner city blacks(not all of them, I am not a racist) are the ones causing the problems not the weed. the suburban kids that smoke and deal pot don't run around shooting each other or robbing liquor stores like gangs. Dealing weed in the inner city is not causal of the other crimes in the inner city. It is a problem caused by the people of the inner city, not the weed in the inner city. I know a handful of dealers and non of them carry guns or use violance, they are very respectable people

Roscoe....were you being fasicious? Because those are all good points.

D.A.R.E. sucks and is out dated. It's like teaching abstainance.

Ok I wouldn't lessen gun control but it needs a new approach. Criminals get guns anyway and use them as they wish. It's ENFORCEMENT that counts.
But then again, the illegal gun market isn't exactly non-profitable for certain interests. Watch "Lord of War".

By the way, are DRUGS different than drugs? Like the kind you get at the pharmacy? Morphine and heroine are the same thing idiot, read a book. It's criminalization of a substance that creates criminality around it.

obviously the only people who can argue this are stoners and non stoners. Since the vote passed with majority then obviously its what the people want. Pot statistically cant kill you (look it up) cocaine and acid can. There is a difference between hard core drugs and pot and im glad the voters of mass saw this fact. As it goes the government could make OVER 1 BILLION DOLLARS if they legalized it pure revenue alone. That might help with the debt, fix the economy, who knows but one thing is for sure anyone who smokes will tell you an oz. is a bundle of weed not a whole heep that will kill someone. and besides who says only poor black people sell dope? its in the suburbs to because pot is a rich white drug, the slums is for cocaine.

I live right next door in RI, you guys are setting a great example for our little state. Honestly, the people who insist on marijuana remaining criminal need to at least try it and remove the shadow of doubt. I trust myself less on 2 cups of strong coffee than I do smoking a joint. Also if the argument is posed that you don't need to try drugs like heroin or crack to know what the dangers are I just have to say this, you show the world that you are extremely dense and that you refuse to listen to logic or apply any type of true investigation into something you know nothing about.

It should be decriminalized everywhere in the US.
It should be sold in shops as it is in Amsterdam.

The government should tax it and use the money to regenerate our economy.

It will take 60% of Drug Dealers of the streets and an education will be more important as it will be much easier to get an education than sell drugs.

Alcohol is more harmful to the body than marijuana, but it is legal because the government can tax it and it's socially acceptable. Marijuana effects don't last as long as alcohol.

Marijuana is no more a gateway drug than alcohol, if you think otherwise you're sadly mistaken.

If you are concerned about your kids, stay involved in their life and stop blaming everything on drugs,video games and the school system..it's your job to teach them, not blame everyone else because you failed at being a parent.

Ugh. The result of this vote sickens me. What's next? Less than 1 ounce of cocaine? Less than 30 tabs of acid? Less than a few rounds of illegal ammunition? Illegal substances are just that... illegal. Great message for kids.
Posted by EAP November 4, 08 10:01 PM

hahaha you dumb mothefucker go smoke a blunt!!! it will loosen you up a bit you up tighnt beotch!

2.)Weed is a gateway drug, that is, it has been documented to lead to use/abuse of other drugs. A significant proportion of those arrested in this state do trest positive for marijuana use.

Um, no. Definitely not a gateway drug. Hard drug users test positive for weed because they most likely use it to enhance other drug experiences, a.k.a. mixing the effects with effects of other drugs.
I know once hard drug user. i know at least 10 stoners. Your propaganda-driven drivel that you try to pass off as an argument, is unbased, and it really sickens me that you think people will actually take you seriously.

Hey Jim....let me explain something to you.....there are violent crimes associated with illegal drugs because THEY ARE ILLEGAL!! It's not the drug, it is the fact that it is illegal and there is money to be made, THAT's what causes the violence. You take that aspect away and no more violence. I hope I used small enough words for you to understand.....

marijuana isnt bad at all. i mean, look at amsterdam, their community is just fine with the legalization of marijuna.
and also ive never heard of some one robbing a convience store after smoking weed, the person would probably just forget about it before they even got to the counter or probably get distracted by all the food in the store.
i think this is a good thing, put people in jail for crack and heroin, that stuff is really not good for you. you cant o.d. on marijuana. weed doesnt hurt you at all, it doesnt make you lose brain cells or anything like that,i know people who have smoked it all their lives and they're some of the smartest people ive ever known. oh and by the way im from massachusetts. go sox!

LEGALIZE IT NOW!!!!!
ALL IT DOES IS CALM YOU THERES NO HARM

Thank you to those like JAH who know how to read and educate themselves before (the running of the mouth starts) some of you are cavemen in a world of funny little elves who where large pointed hats. Get real and get over it marijuana has never killed anyone and is safer than ANY substance used by humans. Safer than the mental meds most of you ding dongs take thats for sure. Heres an idea stop chuggin the booze to cover your emotional maddness and try marijuana, you might eat a few more chips but hell better than killing a car loaded with kids coming home from school.

Okay Marijuana is not a hardcore drug. Yes it can create violence and you know why it does...because its illegal. Stop being idiots and understand marijuana is like alchol. It is not a gate way drug. It actually makes people laugh and giggle when they smoke it. How the hell is that a problem? I say legallize it but nice job MASS voters now our police officers can focus on things that matter like hmmm i dont know RAPE Child molestation murder to name a few....LONG LIVE 420!

@ Marc, you spelled "alcohol" wrong right after calling people who oppose your view point "idiots". Ironic?

I hope they do legalize marijuana. Not because I use it, but because then you cats will all be smoking up as much as possible, and then one day when you're old, you'll be dying of lung cancer and... Well, I won't :D bahaha!

why do so many people worry about children when people discuss legalizing drugs? i imagine when their son is put in jail for weed and gets raped or killed or assaulted thats just tough luck, the law is for the safety everyone , marijuana is as dangerous as ....well.....um.......i dunno

Most who oppose marijuana haven't done it. Those that have understand that it is NOT a drug- it is a plant. To refuse someone the ability to take advantage of a plant is outrageous. There is absolutely no other plant in the world that can be used in the same manner- without other additional substances added to it in order to benefit from it. If you hate on marijuana- then you are hating on nature. If you hate on nature, then you are ignorant anyway so your opinion holds no validity. How can we possibly in any variation of logic keep alcohol legal yet marijuana illegal???

@ Marc, you spelled "alcohol" wrong right after calling people who oppose your view point "idiots". Ironic?
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Hey Grammar Fiend, shouldn't you know that periods and other punctuation (except colons and semicolons, and questions marks and exclamation marks in some contexts) go inside quotation marks?

To #80
George Washington grew marijuana on Mount Vernon both for use as hemp and to smoke. He even experimented with the plant in an effort to increase potency!! :) I'm moving to MASS!!!

what happens when the weed is laced with cocaine and people start getting addicted to that..are they going to legalize cocaine now.

Hey i was wondering when the ligit information is released on this law, and is it retroactive?. =)

I just want every one to take a look at the picture at the top, I know everyone has been arguing back and forth about the new laws but to lighten the mood a bit I just have to point out that every one in that picture looks damn stoned, just look at their faces. Hell one of those guys is a Dr. at Mclean Hospital and I guarantee you he enjoys himself a nice joint some times(of course never while he is working). He looks like a pretty normal successful man to me. Not some violent junky.

"this is about making it okay to break the law."

No it isn't. It's about changing the laws because it's okay to smoke marijuana.

You, sir, are an idiot.

Everyone who thinks this new law is stupid can either suck it up and deal with it, or fight me.

EAP you should have known this was coming from the prohibition of alcohol. Letting people drink and smoke cigarettes are the gateway drugs to marijuana use. We should ban alcohol and tobacco and all drugs completely which would raise the funding for police by a huge amount and our economy is already bad enough. So to EAP do your homework.

does anyone know if the law has been passed by the gov yet

Well I wish all of you luck up there in Mass. Sounds like someone had the freedom to be brave enough to back this. I wonder how they expect peps to get their decriminalized allowable amounts if growing and selling is still a criminal act.? Sort of like the Marijuana Tax Act in the first place. You can grow it if you have a permit, except no permits are ever issued. Catch 22 all over again.
Good luck , I hope it goes through and spreads like wildfire..to more and more states until there is a federal initiative. Will Obama ever decriminilize herb ya think? Personal indoor growing ought to be legalized too. No dealers, big profits for the electric companies, big help to localized economies selling lighting equipment and munchies. Oh well, I can dream a little....

ha ha i just got done smokin myself a bowl and guess what
i dont feel like bashing peoples heads in
last time i drank i got in a fight with my best friend
oo and i was high on pills once .. yeah i punched a wall
those things caused violence3
but weed made me happy...
i wasnt even pissed off when i got caught stoned
i mean seriously dudes im on the computer lookin up
ythe decriminalazation of weed thats sooo violent haha idiots...
well i shouldn be talkin i probably sound retarded right now
but i will say your guys arguments are freakin hilarious
HA
LEGALIZEE IT EVERY WHERE PLEASE
it would make my life easyer
ha ha light it up and be happy

This is the dumbest thing in the entire universe!!!!! What is this World coming too!! I mean really!!!

I think it is a wise and very sensible move. I support and applaud the move. People are going to do what they want to anyway. Why punish good people and tie up tax payer dollars, when the resources can be better spent on crack and cocaine dealers. I reject the notion that if one smokes pot it will lead to heavier drugs.

"Ugh. The result of this vote sickens me. What's next? Less than 1 ounce of cocaine? Less than 30 tabs of acid? Less than a few rounds of illegal ammunition? Illegal substances are just that... illegal. Great message for kids."

Are you actually comparing Marijuana with Cocaine or LSD? They are no where near the same drug nor do they even come close in their effects on the body. Do some research first before you spout off such an ignorant opinion.

Jessica, I don't mean to belittle you opinion, but you clearly have no idea what year it is, Roll with the times, Hopefully one day you will realize Marijuana is not the worst thing, So get over your fear of thc and go try it out. Its 2008, get used to the idea of decriminalization.

awesome news for you guys! i remember about 15 years ago being in denver and they had the same law in effect there. i read earlier that there are 11 other states with the same or similar law in effect...wish i new which ones..lol
i finally gave in and have been 4:20 free for 2 weeks so i can go pass a u.a. and get a job here (oklahoma) it truly pisses me off to have to do this i feel like it is such a violation of my privacy...while the guy next to me can go to a bar get drunk and drive...never understood why cops cant sit outside a bar and arrest people all day..and those drunks are o.k. cause its legal and i get labeled a druggee for pot...time for the sheeple to wake up! im outtie

Pros and Cons… the Pros win… most are "for".
The guys here that disagree are uneducated or at least inexperienced.
If this is overturned by judges I would be willing to come to MA and protest!

Congrats MA from TX

First off, I AM ECSTATIC that this is finally gaining some more interest around the US. Second, we can all thank the brilliant propaganda work of H. J. Anslinger for the ignorance behind why it became and still is illegal today. After the great depression this nutjob pinned violence, rape and other absurd crimes against the black community due to marijuana use, all of them lies (no prevailing proof or truth behind any of his allegations). The Mexican community started coming over the border at an increasing rate because of hard economic times (STILL AN OBSTACLE TODAY) and were bringing marijuana with them. This obviously was where some if not most (black, white, what-have-you) were attaining their supply of herb. Anslinger had no answer for how to stop this, so the easy way out was to criminalize marijuana (which in effect still did nothing). Around 1960 (I believe '62) Anslinger even sent pot he acquired himself to a university in new york to test it's affects and addictive properties. He got none of the results he was looking for because WHAT HE BELIEVED ABOUT MARIJUANA simply was not true. So to all of you like EAP, pull your head out of your ass and do some research before you run your mouth. Taking any old information that someone gives you (i.e., government, media) for granted and blindly believing it is extremely ignorant and dangerous. FREE THE HERB AND LETS STOP OPPRESSING INNOCENT POT SMOKERS AND GENERATE SOME TAX REVENUE FOR OUR COUNTRY AND STATE AND GET BACK ON TRACK ECONOMICALLY!

For what I saw on CNN this law or whatever is called should be in effect on JANUARY 16TH.

I just have a question to n1 who want to answer: do you think that prices would come down as a result of this measure? I got tired of paying $20 for a small bag and at the end I topped buying as I didn't have a reliable source as I don't go out much. Sometimes I got robbed too.

regards to all and hope this change things here in Massachusetts.

"At a November meeting of the Society of Neuroscience in Washington, D.C., researchers from Ohio State University reported that THC, the main psychoactive substance in the cannabis plant, may reduce inflammation in the brain and even stimulate the formation of new brain cells."

All I can say is, new evidence comes out each day that suggests marijuana should be legal. In its current state it's classified as a "schedule 1 drug" or a drug with a high likelihood of abuse and no medical benefits.. LMAO

It was made illegal by propaganda and a government wanting to support big pharmacy all because of money. Legal drugs are worse for your body, mind, and well being, yet people across the US still go and buy a beer than shout at the stoner's.. ignorance is bliss I guess.

For Rocketero--no prices will most likely not go down with this measure as it does not effect the supply of marijuana in any way.
And to all the people that say this will lead to more violence, it has been reported in the 12 other states that have passed similar laws that the crime rates actually decreased after the laws were passed. coincidence or not that crime rates went down, they did not increase in any of the 12 states.
and finally, since the law is now in effect...Time to go spark a fattie=)

Now the only thing missing is Code Pink attacking and demeaning our troops and we'll on the same track as California: financially and morally bankrupt.

According to federal statistics, about 94 million Americans — that’s 40 percent of the U.S. population age 12 or older — self-identify as having used cannabis at some point in their lives, and relatively few acknowledge having suffered significant deleterious health effects due to their use. America’s public policies should reflect this reality, not deny it. It makes no sense to continue to treat nearly half of all Americans as criminals.

Thank you Massachusetts. I am a convicted felon for 2 concurrent possession of Marijuana charges over the past few years. I can no longer vote, own a handgun. I cannot leave my state without permission because I commited a non-violent crime on more than one occasion. I promise I am not a bad person because I like to smoke marijuana very much. I just think it's horrible to take someone inalienable rights because they want to smoke a harmless plant.

Let all the people who want to abuse crack, heroin, cocaine, LSD kill themselves to see "survival of the fittest" in action. Then we won't have a drug epidemic anymore.

next step.........legalization of marijuana

Eat that Republicans....and eat a brownie while you're at it. Legalize plants that God put here for us to use.

i think that if people want this law then all pot smokers should move to massachussets!!! the smell is disgusting , and what example exactly is this setting for our children??

The government says it's okay to possess marijuana, but where is it supposed to be coming from? It's not just going to pop up out of nowhere. We need growers and we need suppliers, which are illegal as of now. I personally am a fan of the system in California, where medical marijuana users can get a prescription from a doctor and either grow weed themselves or buy it from certified "cannabis clubs." As of now, the laws across the nation a very confusing and decriminalization alone is very hypocritical; in order for someone to legally have cannabis, they must illegally attain it. This is a great step in the right direction, but that is just what it is - a step. There are many more to be taken and we must speak up. I think we can all agree that democracy is supposed to run on the voice of the people, so people....SPEAK UP (and not just to stoners, maybe to your local politicians too)!

Well said, One Love. The government condones getting drunk for the Superbowl, or any time really. (FYI- Beer comes from hops, which is in the cannabis family) They also allow for mind altering prescription drugs to be used with regularity, and then go and tell kids that pot (a plant) is not safe. Millions of people will get drunk tonight (like us) in front of their kids, and that's considered normal. However, if we decide to eat a pot brownie, we could go to jail.

LOL at everyone who is against Cannabis, Marijuana is a slang term just like stoner, doper & pothead. If you wish to hate the plant atleast call it be its actual name.

Cannabis Indica or Sativa.

Now on to the uninformed, Cannabis is much different then acid, coke, herion and meth, all of which were man made so thank your fore fathers for being stupid and creating wrose drugs then the harmless THC we enjoy so very much my fellow 4:20er's

Alcohol and cigarettes are legal and its been sad to see that I can die from an across the counter prescription then from Cannabis, a man would have to eat a 15th of his body weight in cannabis just to actually OD on it, no one has tried this because its impossible.

Thanks Mass for actually being SMART unlike some of the people leaving comments here.

Smoking Marijuana does not cause violent crimes...weed is a relaxer...im not saying teens and kids should be doing it but don't go on to say people who smoke weed cause all the serious and violent crimes that druggies do that is bullshit.

Wow. The opponents had possibly the weakest argument I've ever seen. None of it holds up to even the slightest scrutiny. There is no evidence to back up any of those claims, and only evidence to refute them.

after reading about the first one hundred posts I get the feeling that those opposed to the law are looking at it in the wrong way. It doesn't make distribution of, use of, or being high in public legal (which I believe is a good thing); It only allows a person to carry a certain quantity on them so that police don't have to waste their time and money on an insignificant thing. I think its a great idea to decriminalize the plant and leave people up to their own decisions. Pot is classified in most places in the same category as heroine, coke, acid, x, etc, and this is insane. anyone who has tried it knows that the effects are much less than other drugs (including alcohol) when used in moderation. I think the majority of non users would be very surprised at the amount of people (including their own friends) who use if everyone were to come forward and admit it. On another note, I think the black market will remain until its legal to grow in small quantities for your own personal use. People need to be able to make the choice of growing it themselves, or buying from someone. Its the same idea as getting tomatoes from the store, but who's going to spend the high price for pot when you can have the pleasure of growing your own with no risk of a felony? It will all be a matter of convenience at that point. Either you take the time to grow, or you buy it from someone you know. Either way the market dynamics would have to change because the dealers exist presently due to the penalties for growing and distributing it. They are still much higher than a simple possession charge which makes people buy from a dealer instead of taking a huge risk in growing. Feel free to comment, I'd like to know what people think (maybe I'm just ignorant).

You people have forgotten something here...this is decriminalization...NOT legalization....Have you forgotten that alcohol is NOT legal it is decriminalized...it is NOT ok for a 15 year old to be drinking a beer. But it is if your age 21 or older to be in an establishment drinking , thus the decriminalization begins here....I salute the State of MASS for this. This is a stepping stone. I hope that the legislature does not repeal the new law. The State of Maine passed a law to legalize marijuana for medicinal usage. But have they recognized this? I dare say they haven't. GOOD LUCK MASS!!! I SALUTE YOU FOR THIS!!!!!

legalize it = economy fixed.

I strongly agree with comment 43. The immaturity of some posters on this site are the reason marijuana has a bad stigma. Not everyone who smokes marijuana is a stereotypical burnt out hippie. If used responsibly, recreational use of marijuana should not only be decriminalized, it should be legalized. As for the people who are talking nonsense about legalization of an ounce of cocaine or hits of LSD, that is just pure stupidity. We are talking about legalization of a naturally grown plant which in my opinion is no more of a drug than alcohol. No one dies from marijuana use. If you don't like smoking marijuana then don't. You have that choice. All we want is that same choice.

Im proud to have had a chance to vote this year. The draconian marijuana laws are no more. The less government and regulation, the better.

Well, everyone claims drug use is a victimless crime. For the most part, I agree, as I agree with the legalization of marijuana. My rationalizations are as follow:
1. Personally, I find that being stoned makes me less inclined to be violent, drive, or do anything other than eat lots of food, drink soda, and play video games or watch TV. If I am forced to drive whilest under the influence of THC, I drive between ten and fifteen miles per hour under the speed limit, and have in fact avoided many accidents under the influence that likely would've gotten me or someone else injured had I been sober.
2. Other drugs, such as cocaine and other refined narcotics are -not- victimless crimes. The use of such drugs promotes all that which goes into their manufacture, which includes the essential slavery of thousands upon thousands of people worldwide. Though I also believe that deregulation of these substances would in fact ruin such trade, make it infinitely less profitable, and quite possibly destroy several militant groups which are in fact a threat to the United States.

All this being said, I think that decriminalization of the possession of marijuana is simply the first step on the way to ridding this country of drug abuse. When crack heads, coke-fiends, and all other types of drug abusers are allowed all of their substance of choice that they want, legally, there will be a massive spike in drug-related deaths, including, but not limited to, overdoses and suicides. Personally, I think this country will be a much better place when only the pot heads, who want nothing more than to eat nachos and smoke a nice bag of green gold to their faces, are left alive to use drugs. Oh, and of course there will also be those of us who don't use drugs at all, or prefer to use them responsibly.

"If I am forced to drive whilest under the influence of THC, I drive between ten and fifteen miles per hour under the speed limit, and have in fact avoided many accidents under the influence that likely would've gotten me or someone else injured had I been sober."

Couldn't agree more about driving under THC influence. Stoned on the highway resulted in a 55-60 mph driver in the slow lane, enjoying the cars wizz past him. I normally drive closer to 80 if I can get away with it.

Seems like states without a lot of poor minorities are leading this charge.

State's with a lot of poor minorities still want an easy reason to lock them up and get them off the streets.

=

I'm from Mass. but live in Texas. I just got out of jail for marijuana and now I wish I still lived in Boston for that.. I don't think Texas will ever legalize it or decriminalize it, but we can keep hoping!

I served my country, work full time, never been arrested or gotten into a fight, have my own house and give to charity.

I smoke pot.

Fact: It takes at least 1,500 lbs of pot to kill you.

-Resident of Kentucky(sadly we will be the last state to do this)

Its been several months since this has taken effect.

The sky has not fallen. Car crashes are not up. Violent crime is not up. Your precious fragile eggshell children are doing just fine.

Massachusetts is a great state. I am proud to live here.

Very nice site!

Is this decision still in affect or has the state amended/repealed it?

I have children, I never smoked when I was pregnant and I still take care of my children I own a house and my children lead very healthy lives. I grew up with an alcoholic family and if you want my opinion alcohol is worse then marijuana there are many car accident and violence due to alcohol children are neglected cause parents pass out and have no control of themselves due to being incapacitated from the alcohol that is consumed, there is also people getting sick and dieing cause of alcohol poising and marijuana you have to consume impossible amounts to overdose but alcohol still legal and marijuana isn't why?

In all democracies cannabis in the form of a liquid that is squirted beneath your tongue is available for various medical conditions except for the U.S.A. It treats nausea caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients. It treats pain in people suffering from muscular sclerosis and peripheral neuropathy. The majority of these people would become disabled by these conditions were in not for the relief provided by this drug. None of these patients get any highs from using this drug because it is completely dedicated to the elimination of the physiological pain of the condition. In fact anyone suffering from physiological pain cannot get high from even narcotics that are taken to treat the pain. I now can get high on life

I'm proud to be a Bostonian. Now watch all those "West-side for Life" residents flock to my town and try to own the joint. They should be studying the weather effects before leaving the coconuts home.

I smoke weed for the last thirteen years. When I was a kid I used to get some horrible stomach aches, could not eat anything, could not work. I checked with a doctor, they said everything seemed fine (of course). They gave me some opiates and not even this opiates did not help with my stomach but also made me violenly sick, dizzy and shaking. The first time i tried weed with my friends was at the time when i had one of those spazms of pain going on, I was hanging out and could not do much, could not even stay straight. Within seconds after smoking the pain mild down and then dissappeared. Since then I smoke and hardly get any stomach aches ever. I work, married, have two beautifull kids, have a very positive outlook on life, love this country and it's democracy. I'm hurt to see police chasing smokers instead of chasing criminals, hurt to see how DEA not allowing old people to smoke to deal with their pain, tired of corrutpion, of people, who make up bullshit stories about the danger of pot just to keep the alcogol profits going.. who the hell will drink whiskey if they are smoking? Tired of lies... Looks like the new generation just doesn't buy these lies nomore. End a drug war. No more lies. Open your eyes. Legalize