Boston Legal-marijuana activists were in a celebratory mood Thursday as a new voter-approved law took effect in Massachusetts, allowing people 21 and over to possess, grow and use limited amounts of recreational pot.
It will be at least another year before marijuana can be legally sold by licensed retailers in the state, and some supporters of the measure are wary that Massachusetts officials might seek changes to the law or delay its full implementation over the coming months.
Police warned of a potential spike in people driving under the influence of pot and general confusion about what is allowed under the law.
"Yesterday this would have been a $100 fine," said Keith Saunders, as he held up a jar containing what he said was slightly less than an ounce of cannabis flower.
Saunders, a board member of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, or NORML, gathered with other activists outside the historic Massachusetts Statehouse to celebrate the law.
Massachusetts and bringing it above board," he said.
Massachusetts is the first U.S. state on the Eastern seaboard where recreational marijuana is legal, though Maine will soon follow if a recount upholds passage of a ballot measure there. Colorado, Washington and Oregon previously legalized recreational pot and voters in California and Nevada also approved ballot measures last month.
In Massachusetts, adults can possess up to an ounce of pot outside the home, up to 10 ounces inside the home and grow up to a dozen marijuana plants per household.
Having spent nearly three decades crusading for relaxed marijuana rules, Bill Downing admitted to a mix of satisfaction and trepidation.
"I am both celebrating and worrying that the law might not be implemented properly," said Downing, member liaison for the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition.
The concerns stem from public statements by Democratic legislative leaders and Republican Gov. Charlie Baker promising a review and possible changes to the law, which passed by a margin of more than 240,000 votes out of nearly 3.8 million votes cast.
The wishes of the voters will be respected, pledged Baker, who strongly opposed legalization. But he defended efforts that may lead to revisions.
"It was a 6,000 word ballot question written by the recreational marijuana industry for the recreational marijuana industry," said Baker, who spoke to The Associated Press before returning from a trade mission in Israel. "So I expect the Legislature will want to deal with things like potency, home rule. What are going to be the rules about where you can locate (retail) facilities and what local control does local government have about that?"
In a memo sent Wednesday to police departments in Massachusetts, Secretary of Public Safety Daniel Bennett said implementation of recreational marijuana "will create a complex web of different rules" that law enforcement must navigate.
"Within certain limits, the new law authorizes some conduct that had previously been prohibited. Beyond those limits, however, possession, cultivation and distribution of marijuana remain illegal under state law," wrote Bennett.
Marijuana activists dismissed critics who said legalization will lead to an array of social and public safety problems.
"The worst you could is maybe listen to Pink Floyd for two hours rather than one hour," one man joked Thursday as he serenaded supporters with pro-pot tunes in front of the Capitol building.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Marijuana Activists In Massachusetts Celebrate Cannabis Legalization
Author: Bob Salsberg
Contact: (267) 519-4512
Photo Credit: Marcio Jose Sanchez
Website: Philly Voice
