Lawmakers consider marijuana legalization
Lawmakers consider marijuana legalization
BOSTON — The Legislature’s Joint Committee on the Judiciary meets today for a hearing on whether to decriminalize marijuana.The Legislature is constitutionally required to conduct a hearing on the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy (CSMP) initiative that creates a civil penalty and fine system for individuals possessing up to an ounce of marijuana.
The initiative, House bill No. 4468, is titled “An Act Establishing a Sensible Marijuana Policy for the Commonwealth.”
According to Whitney A. Taylor, the CSMP campaign manager, “by creating a civil penalty system for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, the initiative will greatly reduce the human and financial costs of current laws. Massachusetts’ taxpayers spend $29.5 million a year just to arrest and book these offenders. Even more costly is the creation of a criminal record for the approximately 7,500 offenders arrested every year.”
Criminal records are entered into the Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) database and result in lifelong punishment, potentially making an individual ineligible for student loans, creating barriers to employment, and barring individuals from many housing opportunities, Taylor said.
Interesting choice of headline, huh? “Marijuana Legalization”, even though lawmakers are considering “decriminalization”. Last I checked, you don’t get a “civil penalty” - a.k.a. “a fine” - for doing something legal. That’s just one of the subtle ways traditional media shows bias against reforming marijuana laws. A large majority of Americans favor “fine only” penalties for recreational marijuana use, but less than half favor “legalization”.
Tags: Decriminalization, Massachusetts
