The recent editorial regarding the effort to end marijuana prohibition in Massachusetts (“Consider All Risks of Marijuana Legalization,” May 17) relayed The Recorder’s concerns and those of Senate President Stanley Rosenberg.
However, it fell short in informing readers that all those concerns are addressed in the initiative petition language.
Our petition was carefully written to give the Cannabis Control Commission, the proposed oversight body similar to the state’s Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission, wide authority in formulating and enforcing regulations covering all market aspects, including labeling, packaging, edibles portioning, processing, security, inspection systems, advertising restrictions, licensing and permitting, taxation recommendations, and many other areas. The initiative mandates that the commission hold public hearings to provide legislators and the general public a forum to make their views heard.
In short, the initiative provides a framework for addressing all of the concerns raised by the editorial. The Massachusetts Legislature had the opportunity to take up our measure. Indeed, we urged them to do so. They took no action, so now the question will be decided by Massachusetts voters. Voters should be aware that the initiative is designed to allow the state to learn from now-legal states and to employ their best practices and systems.
Voters should also be skeptical of alarmist rhetoric regarding the experiences in Colorado, Washington and other states. The governor of Colorado — a onetime legalization opponent — recently told the Los Angeles Times that the regulatory system is working. Teen use in Colorado dropped in 2013, the first year of legalization. A recent study in the American Academy of Pediatrics showed that teens in Washington find it no easier to access marijuana than before legalization.
We are confident that voters will study the issue and conclude that replacing prohibition with regulation is the best path forward for Massachusetts.
Jim Borghesani
Director of Communications
Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol
Boston