Our Opinion

Posted Monday, October 31, 2016 3:32 am

Marijuana possession was decriminalized in 2008, but unfortunately, the next logical and necessary step was not taken. Question 4 on the November 8 ballot takes that step.

Question 4 is flawed, which is not uncommon for initiative petitions, but it arrived on the ballot because the state's top elected officials were in denial and couldn't handle the increasing case for legalization of recreational marijuana in the state. If Question 4 is passed, the Legislature will have to address its weaknesses, but the question should be passed.

Passage of Question 4 would cripple if not end the black market for marijuana sales by replacing it with a legal, regulated marketplace. This marketplace would provide safeguards on purity and potency which currently don't exist. The failed "War on Drugs," which has been with us since the Nixon administration, has succeeded in creating a criminal, often violent, distribution network for drugs, that passage of this law would at least in part negate.

The sale of marijuana, which is not difficult to get in Massachusetts, contributes nothing to the state, By legalizing recreational sales, the state could tax it and provide a new revenue stream. The ballot initiative calls for only a 3.75 percent tax which the Legislature should quickly increase if the question passes. State Senate President Stanley Rosenberg, who supports legalization, says this task would be a priority.

Marijuana is not a harmless drug but neither is alcohol, and the Prohibition era for alcohol ended because it had all of the same failings that the prohibition of recreational marijuana has. Question 4 creates a Cannabis Control Commission along the lines of an Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. While there is no equivalent to the Breathalyzer test for drunken drivers the counterpart for marijuana is in the exploratory stages. Regardless, driving under the influence, regardless of the substance, remains illegal.

While we respect the concerns of opponents of Question 4, some of the reaction has been overwrought, such as the infamous TV ad in which pot stores are lined up like bakeries and underage users exit the stores with bongs, all because marijuana was legalized. In reality, what opponents fear is already in place because of the unregulated black market. Passage of Question 4 will bring the law into this market.

It is true that the regulations on the sale of edibles and beverages infused with marijuana need strengthening, which along with raising the tax on sales must be addressed by the Legislature. More must be done to educate people about the safe use of marijuana and to provide treatment for those who abuse it. The U.S. has for decades devoted huge sums of money to fight drug use. A percentage of that devoted instead to education and treatment programs would do wonders in reducing whatever problems drugs like marijuana present.

Massachusetts has historically been on the right side of history when it comes to social issues, and the move to legalize and regulate the use of recreational marijuana is gaining momentum in Massachusetts. What we have in place now is an illegal market created by a failed system that the Legislature has left unaddressed at least since 2008. Question 4 addresses that failed system and The Eagle advocates its passage.