:-)
Of course, anything that might actual help you stay alive, this government opposes.
"Study: Smoking Pot Doesn't Cause Cancer--It May Prevent It! Smoking Cannabis Does Not Cause Cancer Of Lung or Upper Airways, Tashkin Finds; Data Suggest Possible Protective Effect"
It's a CULTURE of DEATH country!!!
Also see: Mass. DA's Broke the Law
And what's MORE LIES, 'eh?
"DAs fight bid to ease penalty for marijuana" by David Abel, Globe Staff | October 20, 2008
Under state law, those convicted of possessing even a small amount of marijuana now face up to six months in jail, a fine of $500, and a lifelong criminal record that may be available to potential employers, housing agencies, and student loan providers. In 2006, 6,902 people were arrested in Massachusetts for marijuana possession - more than 38 percent of all the drug arrests in the state that year, according to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports.
All arrests for marijuana possession are archived by the state's Criminal History Systems Board - even when there isn't a conviction. The board is obliged to disclose such Criminal Offender Record Information, known as CORI, to any employer seeking to hire a teacher, police officer, day-care center employee, school bus driver, or nursing home worker, as well as prosecutors.
Nothing in there about LYING, LAW-BREAKING, MASS-MURDERING TORTURERS, huh?
The proposed change in the law - Question 2 on the ballot - would make possession of less than an ounce of marijuana punishable by a civil fine of $100, the equivalent of getting a speeding ticket. Nothing would be reported to the criminal history board. Those younger than age 18 would be required to complete a drug awareness program with a community service component. The fine would increase to as much as $1,000 for those who fail to complete the program.
Here is an IDEA: Seeing as this state has a BUDGET CRISIS, why don't you LEGALIZE IT and TAX IT?! That would make TOO MUCH SENSE, HELP TOO MANY PEOPLE, and DRY UP A WASTE of TAXPAYER FUNDS for SPECIAL INTERESTS, wouldn't it?
Proponents of the initiative say it would maintain the law's existing penalties for growing, trafficking, or driving under the influence of marijuana, while ensuring that those caught with less than an ounce of pot would avoid the taint of a criminal record. (Nearly 100 million Americans report having tried marijuana at least once, according to a 2005 study by the US Department of Health and Human Services.) They also argue it would save the state millions of law enforcement dollars and match similar marijuana possession laws in Maine, New York, California, North Carolina, Oregon, Ohio, Arizona, Colorado, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, and Nevada, all of which have adopted some form of decriminalization.
WTF? "Liberal" Massachusetts BEHIND the COMPASSION CURVE? What a BUNCH of DAMN PHONEYS fucking "liberals" are!!!!!!!
"Marijuana will remain illegal, but the new law wouldn't prevent someone who makes a mistake when they're young from becoming a teacher, a foster parent, or a prosecutor," said Whitney Taylor, chairwoman of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which collected about 125,000 signatures and raised more than $922,000, nearly half from billionaire financier George Soros. "I think it's hypocritical for the district attorneys to insist on keeping lifelong barriers for folks who weren't as lucky as they were by avoiding arrest."
Not only that, why aren't they worried about mass-murdering war looters? Although I must admit, the globalist Soros' attempt to destroy our morality further in this state (as if it had any left) has me thinking twice on a yea vote.
The prosecutors - who insist they have learned from their mistakes - and other law enforcement and education officials opposing the initiative say they worry that decriminalizing marijuana possession would promote drug use and benefit drug dealers.
As if that WERE NOT HAPPENING NOW!!! Hell, CIA RUNS HALF the STUFF!!!!
They said that if the question passes, dealers could evade arrest when carrying as many as 60 joints - which they say equals about an ounce. They warn it would increase violence on the streets and safety hazards in the workplace, and cause the number of car crashes to rise as more youths drive under the influence.
I am TIRED of the SCARE SMEARS and LIES -- and SO ARE THE KIDS!!! That's why they are TUNING YOU OUT, fascistas!!!
"There are a lot of reasons why I think this is a bad idea," said state Attorney General Martha Coakley. "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."
And to LIE ABOUT IT with SCARE STORIES is EVEN WORSE!!! LYING to the KIDS!!!!!!!!
She and others said most of those charged with marijuana possession are arrested for other reasons, such as driving under the influence or possessing a more potent drug like crack cocaine. They also said most people arrested for marijuana possession have their records cleared within six months.
BULLSHIT!!!
"It's very rare we arrest someone for marijuana possession alone," said Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes, another vocal opponent of the initiative, who also said he has never smoked pot. "Right now, the law is very lenient for marijuana possession. There aren't people going to jail solely for possession of marijuana - and the current statute requires that after six months the conviction is continued without a finding and that the records be sealed."
Yeah, it is AFTER that the cops PLANT IT at the scene! Just STRENGTHENS the CASE and ADVANCES the AGENDA!!!! And tell that to the MANDATORY MINIMUMS that are CLOGGING the JAILS, chief!!!!
But Georgia Critsley, general counsel for the state's Criminal History Systems Board, said that marijuana possession arrests and convictions are records that remain visible to many employers.
She said schools, law enforcement agencies, nursing homes, camps, and most companies employing someone who works with children or the elderly can see arrest records, even if the charges were dismissed. She said certified professional groups overseeing lawyers, doctors, nurses, plumbers, electricians, and others can review records for pending cases - before adjudication - as well as any convictions. Noncertified employers can see only convictions punishable with a jail sentence of five years or more.
"It's complicated because different employers see different things," Critsley said.
In a study of the potential effects of marijuana decriminalization on Massachusetts, Jeffrey Miron, a senior lecturer in the economics department at Harvard University, disputed the contention that few arrests are for marijuana possession alone. Based on a review of court records in Brockton and Barnstable and interviews with judges and lawyers, he estimated that about one-third of marijuana-possession arrests in the state involve only that charge. He also said studies of decriminalizing marijuana possession in the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands have shown that it does not increase usage.
But THAT DOESN'T STOP GOVERNMENT LIARS that PROFIT from PROHIBITION!!!!! You gonna run out and buy a joint if it's legal? I'm not.
Why do OFFICIALS always use the OUTRAGEOUS EXTREME for "what might happen?" Isn't that HOW WE GOT INTO IRAQ? Why must OFFICIAL AUTHORITIES and NEWSPAPERS LIE ALL the TIME!!?
He estimated decriminalizing marijuana would save the state's police departments, courts, and jails nearly $30 million. "I think the policy does more bad than good," said Miron, who was paid $2,000 for his study by New England Policy Advocates in support of the initiative. "I think all drugs should be legal. Prohibiting drugs like marijuana drives the market underground - and that increases crime and makes it hard to regulate quality."
Jack A. Cole, executive director of the Medford-based group Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, argued the initiative would do more to dissuade youths from abusing marijuana than the current law because of the required drug awareness program. "I've spent my whole life fighting drug abuse, and believe me, not one of us wants to see one more drug abuser in the world," he said.
Now GO READ how the HYPOCRITE DA's SMOKED POT, readers!
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Fuck you, fascista hypocrites!!!!
