Region – As Massachusetts voters prepare to go to the polls Tuesday, Nov. 8, they will be faced with four referendum questions. Perhaps the least understood is Question 4 which pertains to the legalization of recreational marijuana. Regardless of your opinion of the drug, it’s important to realize the potential ramifications of legalization. Although the drug is currently legal for medical purposes, and it is no longer considered a crime in Massachusetts for possession under 1 ounce, legalization would bring the drug into our communities in a very visible way. Those who have travelled to Colorado can readily attest that pot stores will become more visible in our towns; in fact, in Colorado there are more pot-related stores than McDonalds and Starbucks combined.
If pot is legalized there will be an inevitable increase of pot and pot infused “consumables” making it into our kids’ hands, there will be a medical impact on our healthcare system and surely a safety impact on our streets. Proponents can spend their time denying it, but the bottom line is that there is big money to be made by the pot industry and it’s up to voters to decide whether the pursuit of profits will dictate pot’s impact on our communities.
Cartoon/Ed Turner