Phish Kicks Off Summer Tour in Boston
June 1st, 2009 by RickThe first concert to the summer tour of the the band Phish kicked off at Boston’s Fenway Park and was greatly enhanced thanks to a newly decriminalized Massachusetts law.
The law fines a person $100 if they are caught with less than an ounce of marijuana. If you happen to be a minor, you still have to pay the fine but you also have to do community service and attend a drug-awareness program.
Obviously people would have still brought weed with them to the concert even if the laws hadn’t have been decriminalized. Culture has dictated that this dangerous gateway drug is approved by the community at large to be used recreationally as well as medicinally. Studies upon studies have been released, debunking the neanderthal thinking of typical drug dinosaurs. Rawwwr!
Note: One of the most recent Phish concerts in Hampton, VA was in the news about how almost 200 people were arrested, mostly for narcotics related charges, and $1.2M worth of drugs were recovered. Mugshots of those arrested even made the internet, via the Smoking Gun.
Marijuana Legalization Bills Introduced in Massachusetts
March 25th, 2009 by Rick
Looks like California isn’t alone in the quest to legalize marijuana. Massachusetts is proposing House Bill 2929 and Senate Bill 1801 which seek to tax and regulate the cannabis industry. It would allow adults over 21 years of age to be licensed and taxed, thus regulating the commercial production and distribution of marijuana. Some estimates claim as much as $100 million in annual state revenue could be obtained.
What makes the bill even bolder is that adults who possess or grow marijuana for personal use, or who engage in the non-profit transfer of cannabis, would not be subject to taxation under the law. Wouldn’t this conflict with their effort to tax and license adults if they allowed adults to have it and grow it for personal use without being taxed?
Don’t get me wrong, I think that part of the bill is great for the little folk that just want to cultivate it for themselves and not engage in the commercial sale but it just doesn’t make sense on how they plan on making this work. Besides, Massachusetts can set forth all the legislature that they want attempting to legalize marijuana. As long as the government deems it illegal then it’s still illegal and a heated issue.
Despite mounting pressure from the failed war on drugs — the government just now finally shifted it’s policies towards medical marijuana states and promised to stop raiding medical marijuana dispensaries. The timing couldn’t be more crucial for another state, this time on the east coast, to take a bold initiative forward and attempt to solve a problem that the government hasn’t been able to do since their first demonizing stance on marijuana back in 1930.
The reasons have always been the same, criminalizing marijuana has kept it out of the limelight of being studied as a plant that happens to threaten numerous established industries (pharmaceutical, paper, plastic, clothing, oil, etc.). A lot of people stand to lose a lot of money if their industry is threatened by this plant, a plant that can be grown in almost any condition, anywhere in the world.
Marijuana Possession in Mass. Nets Nearly Zero
January 21st, 2009 by Perry
As Massachusetts adjusts to recent legislation that made the penalties for possessing marijuana a $100 fine, the law hasn’t generated very much revenue for one town. Actually in Hingham, Mass., it hasn’t netted much of anything.
Sunday, The Hingham Journal interviewed Town Clerk Eileen McCracken, who is responsible for collecting the fines. He claimed so far there have been only four citations on the books for a town with an estimated population of 20,000 residents.
I can’t help but wonder if the law’s failure, or success depending on how you feel about marijuana decriminalization, is the result of a self-fulfilling prophecy by local law enforcement leaders. The Mass. Chiefs of Police Association recently spoke out against the law, calling it “unenforceable” due to practical limitations and vague wording in the legislation.
Mass. Legislators Want Stiffer Pot Penalties
January 9th, 2009 by Perry
Frustrated by the recent passage of a law decriminalizing marijuana, Worcestor officials want to do something about it at the local level. The city council is trying to create a civil penalty or criminal indictment if someone is caught using marijuana.
The move is in response to a November initiative on the state’s ballot that decriminalized possession of marijuana, with a penalty of $100 if you are caught in public with it. Law enforcement have ridiculed the law on the grounds that there is no practical way to enforce the law.
We all knew that the first major area to decriminalize pot would have multiple challenges to the law itself. Let’s see how local government’s attempt to circumvent the people’s will turns out…
So No More Marijuana Laws, Now What?
November 6th, 2008 by Perry
Massachusetts law enforcement are now pondering what to do with weed in light of the state’s recent passing of marijuana decriminalization.
C. Samuel Sutter, Bristol County District Attorney, said:
I think it makes it more difficult to convince young people that marijuana is really dangerous.
The new law calls for $100 fines for possession, not arrest. Any juveniles caught with possession of marijuana will have their parents or legal guardians notified and be required to complete 10 hours of community service.
But the law also creates practical problems, such as loopholes for both criminals and police officers, as one legal expert ponders.
Mitch Librett, a criminal justice professor at Bridgewater State College, said:
Case law will have to develop in reaction to the new legislation.
Because marijuana remains illegal, Mr. Librett believes police officers would still be in their rights to stop a vehicle. Although this presents unique problems for both sides of the spectrum – smokers & law enforcement – Massachusetts has taken a step in the right direction.
Now the people are paid to protect and defend us need to adjust accordingly…
DAs Blowing Around Some Hot Air
November 3rd, 2008 by Perry
In an effort to fight the initiative to legalize medical marijuana in Massachusetts, local district attorneys aren’t exactly coming clean about past marijuana use. But they aren’t necessarily denying it, either.
One cape-area DA said:
Like a lot of people in my generation, we did a lot of things that were unwise, unhealthy, and illegal.
Yet, somehow he managed to become a productive, functioning member of society, even though he smoked marijuana. Or at least alluded to it because he didn’t have the courage (some would say ‘balls’) to admit it.
Other DAs, were more frank:
I tried it once, and it wasn’t something I was ever into.
I’m not sure what I respect less; the hypocrisy of those who have tried it, or those who haven’t and therefore have no idea what they’re talking about, like this New England DA:
The bottom line is that this sends a message that it’s OK to use marijuana… but to pretend it’s not a public safety issue is disingenuous.
Not a surprise at all if you commonly refer to it as a public safety issue.
