Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
In the greater scope of important issues, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin's light-hearted quip about legalized recreational marijuana doesn't rate a high place on the ladder.
While Galvin's comment may seem harmless enough, though, state officials such as himself would do well to treat this subject seriously.
"All those tokers can hold their breath a little longer, but they'll be able to exhale" by early 2017, he told the Boston Globe. Galvin said the expected Dec. 15 starting date for residents to grow and possess larger quantities will be necessarily delayed so that all the legalities associated with the November referendum vote can be completed.
Legalized recreational pot was endorsed by 53 percent of voters, not a landslide but still an undisputed victory. Objections that it would send the wrong message about drug use and give the marijuana industry too much control were rejected, as legal pot was seen as a large revenue source that, if legal, it would marginalize illegal drug dealers.
To many people, though, it's not a laughing matter. This vote was not a scene from a Cheech and Chong movie. Even proponents of legal pot acknowledge the need to monitor the industry so that benefits can be reaped without encouraging young people to take up the habit, for example.
Galvin would likely not have been so flippant had alcohol, for example, been made more available. His pot comment speaks to a mood that the party is about to begin.
That plays to the concerns of the 47 percent - a sizeable minority - and does not speak well to the serious nature of legalizing a drug that may not fall into the category of more dangerous substances, but is nonetheless mood-altering and being offered to far greater degree than ever before.
There is no need for Galvin to apologize or recant. Some thought he was actually poking a barb at marijuana users, not dismissing the concerns of opponents.
In the future, though, this issue should be treated - excuse the play on words - soberly. Marijuana legalization was a serious decision with serious consequences. Hopefully, the promises of proponents will occur without the negative results opponents feared.
Treating it that way respects all the varying sides in the debate, and will allow the state to make this transition more smoothly.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Legal Pot Is Not A Punch Line
Author: The Republican Editorials
Contact: MassLive
Photo Credit: John Munson
Website: MassLive
While Galvin's comment may seem harmless enough, though, state officials such as himself would do well to treat this subject seriously.
"All those tokers can hold their breath a little longer, but they'll be able to exhale" by early 2017, he told the Boston Globe. Galvin said the expected Dec. 15 starting date for residents to grow and possess larger quantities will be necessarily delayed so that all the legalities associated with the November referendum vote can be completed.
Legalized recreational pot was endorsed by 53 percent of voters, not a landslide but still an undisputed victory. Objections that it would send the wrong message about drug use and give the marijuana industry too much control were rejected, as legal pot was seen as a large revenue source that, if legal, it would marginalize illegal drug dealers.
To many people, though, it's not a laughing matter. This vote was not a scene from a Cheech and Chong movie. Even proponents of legal pot acknowledge the need to monitor the industry so that benefits can be reaped without encouraging young people to take up the habit, for example.
Galvin would likely not have been so flippant had alcohol, for example, been made more available. His pot comment speaks to a mood that the party is about to begin.
That plays to the concerns of the 47 percent - a sizeable minority - and does not speak well to the serious nature of legalizing a drug that may not fall into the category of more dangerous substances, but is nonetheless mood-altering and being offered to far greater degree than ever before.
There is no need for Galvin to apologize or recant. Some thought he was actually poking a barb at marijuana users, not dismissing the concerns of opponents.
In the future, though, this issue should be treated - excuse the play on words - soberly. Marijuana legalization was a serious decision with serious consequences. Hopefully, the promises of proponents will occur without the negative results opponents feared.
Treating it that way respects all the varying sides in the debate, and will allow the state to make this transition more smoothly.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Legal Pot Is Not A Punch Line
Author: The Republican Editorials
Contact: MassLive
Photo Credit: John Munson
Website: MassLive