Related: The Boston Globe's Invisible Ink: Marijuana Stink
Well, the Globe was not in favor of decriminalization, and it shows.
"Marijuana advocates celebrate gains; First rally held since possession decriminalized" by Michael Corcoran, Globe Correspondent | September 20, 2009
There was not a cloud in the sky over the Boston Common yesterday during the 20th annual Boston Freedom Rally, but there was plenty of smoke.
It was the first time the pro-marijuana rally organized by the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition had been held since the November election, when voters passed Proposition 2. The ballot initiative made possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a civil offense rather than a crime.
The changed law gave the large crowds in attendance yesterday a new reason to celebrate and one less reason to get arrested - an outcome that organizers said is a welcome change. The event has caused controversy over the years because of many arrests and battles with the city over permit issues. This year, as in the past, many people smoked marijuana openly as an act of civil disobedience.
ALWAYS ENCOURAGED in these parts!
“After years of helplessly watching Boston Police bag harmless stoners, it will be a joy to see people enjoying themselves without the threat or fear of arrest,’’ said Keith Saunders, president of the reform coalition, on the rally’s website.
“This is a victory party,’’ said Bill Bones, a long-time board member for the coalition, also known as MassCann. “We got 65 percent to come out and vote for freedom. Too many people make mistakes when they are young, and then get slapped with a criminal record. Well they are not criminals, and we are celebrating this today.’’
Gary Gossum, 50, of Boston, said the new law was the major reason he attended the festival this year. “I have come to this event off and on, but hadn’t been coming in the most recent years. It was getting too hard,’’ he said. “But now it is nice again, since marijuana is decriminalized.’’
Yeah, but the COPS STILL SPENT TIME HANDING OUT TICKETS!!!!
The more lenient policies, however, did not stop law enforcement officers from issuing 136 citations of $100 each for marijuana possession and making three arrests for possession with intent to distribute, according to Officer James Kenneally, spokesman for the Boston police. He said the event was peaceful.
OF COURSE IT WAS!!! The only thing a stoner wants to attack is FOOD!
Even with the passage of Proposition 2, which took effect Jan. 2, it is still illegal to smoke marijuana in public. But an arrest for possession of under an ounce of marijuana is punishable with a civil fine of $100 and not a criminal penalty. Previously, simple possession was a misdemeanor that carried penalties of up to six months in jail, a fine of up to $500 and was listed as a criminal record.
Yeah, ISN'T IT NICE that the Globe and others wanted to WRECK a KID'S FUTURE if he got caught with a little weed (after they all had their indulgences years ago)!!!
Under Proposition 2, violators under 18 must attend a drug-awareness program that includes 10 hours of community service within a year of the citation, or the fine increases to $1,000.
Yeah, and it WON'T STAY on the KID'S RECORD!
Why OMIT that, Globe? What is WITH YOU GUYS?
Sean McGivney, 19, of Hampton, N.H., was one of those who received a citation for possession of marijuana at yesterday’s rally. “We were sitting politely, minding our own business, making a point not to smoke when people were around. That is when a guy came up and told us to ‘hand it over,’ ’’ McGivney said. “I am glad the laws are more lenient, but I don’t think it’s enough.’’
Yeah, this is the FREEDOM of "liberal" Massachushitts!!!
What an EMBARRASSMENT to the NATION my stink-hole state is!!!!!!!
Last year, six arrests were made for possession, many fewer than in previous years. In 2006, 53 were arrested on marijuana-related charges. Some attended the rally to spread the word about other drug law issues, including a move to lessen penalties for students with campus drug offenses.
SEATTLE - In one corner of Washington state, a 62-year-old rheumatoid arthritis patient could face more than eight years in prison for growing marijuana for himself and three others. In Seattle, meanwhile, a collection of cultivation operations serves 2,000 people with little interference from police.
The discrepancy is typical of the confusion that has reigned since voters passed Washington’s medical marijuana law more than a decade ago. Nor have things improved much since the state last year clarified how much marijuana patients can have.
And the STATE STILL CAN'T GET IT RIGHT, huh?
Unlike some states, Washington requires patients to grow marijuana themselves or designate a caregiver to grow it for them. For many, that’s unrealistic: They’re too sick to grow cannabis themselves and don’t have the thousands of dollars it can cost for a caregiver to set up a proper growing operation. So they have devised their own schemes, claiming to meet the letter of the law in establishing collectives or storefront dispensaries - methods that are making police and prosecutors increasingly uncomfortable.
What is with the BUSYBODY ATTITUDE, a**holes?
Dan Satterberg, the prosecutor in King County, where Seattle is:
“.... if you get other people showing up to buy marijuana who are not permitted to under the law, then there’s tension.’’
Yeah, ONLY BECAUSE YOU ARE CREATING IT, copper!!!!
Three years ago, Satterberg’s office declined to prosecute a man who was growing 130 plants for 40 people. But a case this year may be testing his tolerance: He hasn’t decided whether to charge a hepatitis patient caught with 200 plants, which he said supplied more than 100 other patients.
I know it is a terrible thing to say, but I hope this guy suffers some tragedy in his family where pot is needed. Being seeing the other side of the shit hole then!!!!!!!!!!!!
See: The Price of Pain - The real million dollar bust - The Gerry and Marilyn Campbell Story
Yeah, I AM ANGRY at these FASCISTA ASSHOLES!!!!!!!!
Some activists and the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington recently began discussions with Seattle police over whether to limit the size of marijuana cooperatives. In Spokane this month, police shut down a medical marijuana dispensary - the first such raid in the state - and arrested the two owners. They warned a half-dozen other dispensaries to close as well, and the raid quickly drew protests from patients. The raid has set up a high-profile court fight.
Hey, they are SICK PEOPLE, you INHUMAN A**HOLE!!!!!!!
Approved by voters in 1998, the law allows doctors to recommend cannabis as a treatment for a series of debilitating or terminal conditions - a smaller range of illnesses than California’s law. A year ago, the state issued guidelines to give police and patients an idea of how much pot was permitted: Up to 15 plants and 24 ounces of dried marijuana per patient. People can have more if they demonstrate need.
Police in some jurisdictions have applied the guidelines strictly, arresting people for having more than 15 plants, even if they possessed no usable marijuana. In Seattle, Satterberg issued a memo to law enforcement saying he wasn’t interested in dragging sick people to court.
But he is DOING IT ANYWAY!!!
Some other counties have also adopted a lenient view....
What the hell has happened to America, readers?
WHEN DID YOU become a FASCIST NATION that HATES SICK PEOPLE and WANTS THEM TO DIE?!!!!!!!!
