Advocates Launch Initiative Drive to End Cannabis Prohibition in Massachusetts
State legislators and a former federal law enforcement official joined the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol at a news conference today in front of the Masschusetts State House to kick off the signature drive in support of a proposed ballot initiative to end cannabis prohibition in Massachusetts.
Senator Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont), Representatives Jay Livingstone (D-Boston) and David Rogers (D-Cambridge), and Regina Hufnagel, a former federal corrections officer, were among the first to sign the petition.
The campaign must now collect the signatures of 64,750 registered Massachusetts voters by November 18 to place the measure in front of the Massachusetts Legislature. If the legislature does not adopt the measure, initiative backers must collect 10,792 signatures in June 2016 to place the initiative on the November 2016 ballot.
If passed into law either by the legislature or by voters, the initiative would legalize the possession of up to an ounce of cannabis for those 21 and older, or up to ten ounces in a private residence. The cultivation of up to six cannabis plants would also be allowed, as would cannabis retail outlets.
“I am proud to be one of the first signers of this well-crafted initiative”, says Rep. Rogers. ” I filed legislation this session to tax and regulate cannabis because our society’s public health and safety strategies have failed when it comes to cannabis consumption. Rather than reducing use, over the years prohibition has put thousands of people in prison for nonviolent drug crimes, wasted countless tax dollars on incarceration and ineffective enforcement, and has helped give rise to a black market that funnels billions into the pockets of criminal enterprises. I am glad that the people of Massachusetts will have the chance to end this failed policy in 2016.”
– TheJointBlog