GregCro12/14/16 03:05 PM Smoking in public is now arrestable, just like drinking in public. Be careful what you wish for. __________________________________________________________________________
Indeed, we should take note of the Colorado experience - this is what happens when excessive taxes, fees, and nuisance regulations push the cost of a legal product too high.
These weren't "home grows" that were investigated and busted - these were professional illegal commercial growing operations, with hundreds of plants, not 6.
The high taxes and fees in the Western states mean that legal cannabis has only displaced a fraction of the established, thriving black market which also exists here in Mass. Fraction meaning less than half. Illegal delivery services in CO still offer cannabis for less money than stores.
When the government charges a 50% tax rate on an herbal product that grows anywhere, it tends to make the black market flourish. When regulatory agencies impose absurd regulations, like computer tracking of seeds and tiny seedlings and a security camera for every row of plants it's easier to just grow the plants normally without cameras and RFID tags and sell on the black market.
The impediments you mention were meant as barriers to entry to a legal market. While giving additional wing to the black market. Our legislators of course pretend not to realize these facts, as they attempt to grow as rich as the Mexican Cartels these laws were meant to displace. "Tracking individual seeds", indeed. Idiocy.
I hear what you're saying, north. But there's "black market" and then there's "black market." It will be a lot easier to buy a quarter ounce from your buddy who is growing it in his basement starting today. That's going to take a big chunk out of the organized-gang drug dealing market.
btw, so glad the Globe quoted another police officer, instead of one of the many hundreds of new business owners that have opened due to Repeal. Last I read, the cannabis industry has added 18,000 new jobs to the Colorado economy.
Probably why the citizens of Pueblo, Colorado voted on Election Day to keep their booming cannabis industry, by 60% to 40%, much higher than they voted for legalization back in 2012. You see, private sector people can't just arbitrarily extort tax money from working people like the government and police can.
The Globe continues to be a laughingstock with these silly articles that mostly quote chagrined police officers, not the citizens who are expanding human rights & personal liberties. The articles are absurd, but the illustrations are to die for!
"After the vote was certified, Jennie L. Caissie, a Republican councilor, stood up and said she couldn’t in good conscience certify the result. But her speech had no legal bearing"
Did anyone follow up with Ms. Caissie and ask what in her conscience prevented her from certifying the result? The voters spoke and 300,000 more voted yes than no.
The line from this article, not any other source, is: "The initiative passed last month with 1.8 million people voting for the measure, despite the opposition of top politicians, the Catholic Church, doctors and business groups, and an array of other civic leaders. About 1.5 million people voted against it."
I'd like to publically give a shout out to Senate President Stanley Rosenberg. In the face of bipartisan opposition to Question 4, not to mention the arch diocese of Boston, medical groups, law enforcement and the alcoholic beverage industry, he had the political cajones to go against the prevailing establishment's Reefer Madness flavored reasoning and publically come out in support of this bill. I emailed him a couple weeks ago asking him to respect the will of the voters and not gut the bill. He responded in 9 minutes and promised that he would respect the will of the voters and do his best to see that the bill wasn't gutted. The man kept his word. Thank you Senator Rosenberg. In this time of heightened cynicism regarding politicians and their special interests, it would appear that Sen. Rosenberg's special interest is with the citizens of the Commonwealth. How refreshing. Also, thanks to the tireless efforts of Will Luzier and Jim Borghesani, without which, this would have not have happened.
Yes - another politician subsituting his judgement for those of the voters. No thanks - time to recall Rosenberg for his pursuit of this half-baked (no pun) science that people arent "adult" enough to smoke marijuana (and presumably perform a myriad of other dangerous or harmful activities) until they are 25
It is this asinine thinking that believes teenage murderers ought to be left out before they are 40. All of us are waiting for Phillip Chism to get out on parole before he is 35 - because his brain wasnt "developed" enough to realize that raping and murdering a school teacher is wrong.
Stan - the people have spoken - get out of the way with the gumball science.
Still looking for city and town totals on the 2016 ballot questions. As of mid-afternoon on December 14 the Web site for the Secretary of the Commonwealth has Presidential results.
What is a real relief is that you don't have to be paranoid about somebody squealing on you or that you'll be arrested and face a huge fine and have an arrest record. I wouldn't change my behavior at all tomorrow things will be the same other than no longer having clandestine meetings with my source to buy my stash, I'll go to a store and pick out what I want. (when they open)
I still can't believe it passed and very happy that it did and there are actually "good" politicians out there like Stanley. I thought Deb was going to try to delay it. It is too bad the globe is very biased in their reporting and couldn't get a positive quote as was pointed out. How do the police deal with prescription drugs which must be even harder to detect since there is no odor or red eye effects from my understanding but they do. They should accelerate the shops so we can accelerate the tax revenue. Colorado just cracked 1.1 Billion in Cannabis sales already this year which will generate almost 200 Million in revenue.
Stan is dithering about raising the legal age from 21 to 25! Why not raise it to 45? Obviously many voters brains haven't fully developed by then but just as a concession to old age!
The Globe's trouble isn't getting positive quotations. The problem is caring enough about balanced journalism to actually include them. Is John Henry still fighting to bring the Olympics to Boston too? He's a loser on both issues.
If folks grow it and then sell it out of state, that's those states' problems. Legalize it nationwide and we'll be done once and for all with this farcical treatment of the herb. Now it's time for Goldberg to start doing her job and clear the way for stores to open on January 1, 2018. This is not putting a person on the moon.
now how about a referendum on political term limits..........wait a minute didn't the voters approve term limits and the people that were the subject of the term limits tabled the voters will?.........the cops I know don't care about weed, with the exception of the barney fifes
lots of drugs derive from plants, including opium which is what morphine, heroin and other narcotics are derived from. Same with the heart medicine digitalis ( digoxin). That doesn't mean they are not also drugs.
The biggest reason to legalize is to defund the criminal enterprise that supports it now. Of course the morons at Beacon Hill - want to delay the legal selling of marijuana - which undermines the very reason I voted for it.
The Senate President now wants to increase the age to 25. I am thinking it is time to institute an age limit on politicians on this state instead.
The side effects/affects of the legalization of pot will be felt later this year. Kids sneaking onto pot growers' property to harvest product for themselves. People from other New England states coming to MA to plant Marajuana on property they own (Cape Cod, WMass, border areas) rise in Emergency Room visits. We will see.
Piece of advice to you and all the idiot politicians who want to change the law: visit Colorado, Washington, and Oregon and you probably won't even notice that it's legal. That's how little impact legalization has had in those states.
So now Governor's Councillors are going to refuse to certify totally valid election results they don't agree with? I hope someone runs against that moron Cassie in the next election.
( Knocks at the door) Chong: Who is it? Cheech: It's me, Dave. Open up, man, I got the stuff. (More knocks) Chong: Who is it? Cheech: It's me, Dave, man. Open up, I got the stuff. Chong: Who? Cheech: It's, Dave, man. Open up, I think the cops saw me come in here. (More knocks) Chong: Who is it? Cheech: It's, Dave, man. Will you open up, I got the stuff with me. Chong: Who? Cheech: Dave, man. Open up. Chong: Dave? Cheech: Yeah, Dave. c'mon, man, open up, I think the cops saw me. Chong: Dave's not here. Cheech: No, man, I'm Dave, man. (Sharp knocks at the door) Cheech: Hey, c'mon, man. Chong: Who is it? Cheech: It's Dave, man. Will you open up? I got the stuff with me. Chong: Who? Cheech: Dave, man. Open up. Chong: Dave? Cheech: Yeah, Dave. Chong: Dave's not here ...
I wonder what will happen next year with incoming Trump administration - especially if Jeff Sessions becomes an AG. He might try to crack down hard on this.
Ya man....it'll cure your ills. In all seriousness, medical marijuana helps people who have all kinds of physical ailments. They've run a number of informative articles in the BG over the last year.
Yea,from the police.
Smoking in public is now arrestable, just like drinking in public. Be careful what you wish for.
__________________________________________________________________________
These weren't "home grows" that were investigated and busted - these were professional illegal commercial growing operations, with hundreds of plants, not 6.
The high taxes and fees in the Western states mean that legal cannabis has only displaced a fraction of the established, thriving black market which also exists here in Mass. Fraction meaning less than half. Illegal delivery services in CO still offer cannabis for less money than stores.
When the government charges a 50% tax rate on an herbal product that grows anywhere, it tends to make the black market flourish. When regulatory agencies impose absurd regulations, like computer tracking of seeds and tiny seedlings and a security camera for every row of plants it's easier to just grow the plants normally without cameras and RFID tags and sell on the black market.
While giving additional wing to the black market.
Our legislators of course pretend not to realize these facts, as they attempt to grow as rich as the Mexican Cartels these laws were meant to displace.
"Tracking individual seeds", indeed.
Idiocy.
Probably why the citizens of Pueblo, Colorado voted on Election Day to keep their booming cannabis industry, by 60% to 40%, much higher than they voted for legalization back in 2012. You see, private sector people can't just arbitrarily extort tax money from working people like the government and police can.
http://denver.cbslocal.com/2016/11/10/pueblo-votes-to-keep-retail-pot-shops/
It may be hard for the Globe to understand but jobs are important for those of us outside the corrupt political classes of the USA.
Did anyone follow up with Ms. Caissie and ask what in her conscience prevented her from certifying the result? The voters spoke and 300,000 more voted yes than no.
This comment has been blocked.
1,800,000 - 1,500,000 = 300,000.
Sounds straight and sober to me.
This comment has been blocked.
It is this asinine thinking that believes teenage murderers ought to be left out before they are 40. All of us are waiting for Phillip Chism to get out on parole before he is 35 - because his brain wasnt "developed" enough to realize that raping and murdering a school teacher is wrong.
Stan - the people have spoken - get out of the way with the gumball science.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/elections/2016/MA/Question/4%20-%20Legalize%20Marijuana?p1=BG_election_full_results
Why not raise it to 45?
Obviously many voters brains haven't fully developed by then but just as a concession to old age!
drugs.
The Senate President now wants to increase the age to 25. I am thinking it is time to institute an age limit on politicians on this state instead.
The voters have spoken in a big way.
Chong: Who is it?
Cheech: It's me, Dave. Open up, man, I got the stuff.
(More knocks)
Chong: Who is it?
Cheech: It's me, Dave, man. Open up, I got the stuff.
Chong: Who?
Cheech: It's, Dave, man. Open up, I think the cops saw me come in here.
(More knocks)
Chong: Who is it?
Cheech: It's, Dave, man. Will you open up, I got the stuff with me.
Chong: Who?
Cheech: Dave, man. Open up.
Chong: Dave?
Cheech: Yeah, Dave. c'mon, man, open up, I think the cops saw me.
Chong: Dave's not here.
Cheech: No, man, I'm Dave, man.
(Sharp knocks at the door)
Cheech: Hey, c'mon, man.
Chong: Who is it?
Cheech: It's Dave, man. Will you open up? I got the stuff with me.
Chong: Who?
Cheech: Dave, man. Open up.
Chong: Dave?
Cheech: Yeah, Dave.
Chong: Dave's not here ...
In all seriousness, medical marijuana helps people who have all kinds of physical ailments.
They've run a number of informative articles in the BG over the last year.
The situation must be right
A bag of goodies and a bottle of wine
We're gonna get it on right tonight"