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Massachusetts 2008 Ballot Questions
Ballot Question 2
"AN ACT ESTABLISHING A SENSIBLE STATE MARIJUANA POLICY"
Summary:
This proposed law would replace the criminal
penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a new system of
civil penalties, to be enforced by issuing citations, and would exclude
information regarding this civil offense from the state's criminal record
information system. Offenders age 18
or older would be subject to forfeiture of the marijuana plus a civil penalty of
$100. Offenders under the age of 18
would be subject to the same forfeiture and, if they complete a drug awareness
program within one year of the offense, the same $100 penalty.
Reasons to Vote “Yes”:
-
Reduce the amount of people in prison for “minor crimes”, subsequently saving the state money and manpower
-
Reduce the amount of CORI reports, also saving money for the state and also not penalizing people for a minor offense and potentially jeopardizing the person's ability to obtain jobs, housing, and school loans
-
Save
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Liberalizing marijuana penalties does not necessarily lead to an increase in marijuana consumption or affect adolescent attitudes toward drug use
-
People found with an ounce or less or marijuana would not have a criminal record and only pay a fine of $100, subsequently causing less people to face jail time
-
Might lead to increased research on medicinal marijuana usage, as the drug is now decriminalized
Reasons to Vote “No”:
-
Many major medical groups oppose the legalization of marijuana, thus leading one to question the safety of the drug and whether or not the decriminalization may send a mixed message
-
Teenagers may have easier access to marijuana and worry less about possession of the drug since the consequences are less severe
-
15% of teens reported driving under the influence of marijuana
-
A study of teen marijuana use and behavior in 2002 concluded that the more pot teens used, the higher the rates of serious fighting at school or work.
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The drug may become more accessible to the general population, potentially leading to more drug-related driving accidents and general fatalities
Resources:
http://www.idebate.org/debatabase/topic_index.php?page=4
http://sensiblemarijuanapolicy.org/