To look at the Big Party campaigns this election season, you’d think reforming drug policies is a non-issue.
But just below the stultifying surface of Republicratism, there’s plenty of activity, thanks to the efforts of reform activists. On November 2, voters in 73 communities around Massachusetts will have the opportunity to weigh in on several non-binding public policy questions regarding marijuana laws. In the Valley, voters in the 1st Franklin and 3rd Hampshire districts will see a ballot question asking if they think marijuana should be regulated and taxed by the government, as alcohol is. And in the 1st Hampden district, voters will be asked if they support legislation “that would allow patients with their doctor’s written recommendation, to possess, grow, and purchase marijuana for medical use.”
In Western Mass., there are also several legislative candidates who support the legalization of marijuana, including Daniel Melick, an independent running for the 3rd Hampshire seat, and Scott Laugenour, the Green-Rainbow candidate for state rep in the 4th Berkshire district.
But the highest-profile pro-legalization candidate this season is Jill Stein, the Green-Rainbow gubernatorial candidate. If elected, she vows to introduce legislation to legalize medical marijuana, and to create a Cannabis Reform Commission to develop a plan for the regulation and taxation of pot.
“Our marijuana & policy is generating hundreds of millions of dollars for criminal enterprises in Massachusetts. It is funding the horrific street violence associated with the black market; it is denying patients the benefits of medical marijuana; it is forfeiting the jobs we could have in a hemp industry for food and fiber; it is creating a costly and confused enforcement problem; and thousands of otherwise law-abiding citizens are being slapped with fines and branded as outlaws,” Stein says in campaign materials. “All this is to deter people from using an herb whose health effects on users are far less harmful than substances we do allow to be sold, such as tobacco and alcohol.”
Stein will speak on the issue on Thursday, Oct. 28, at an event hosted by the UMass Cannabis Reform Coalition. The event, which will start at 4 p.m., will be held at the Student Union Ballroom at the UMass-Amherst campus. Her talk will be followed by a political performance piece by Norman Bie.
