Jim Finnel
Fallen Cannabis Warrior & Ex News Moderator
Smoke pot in public, get a $300 ticket. Shovel snow into the street, pay $50. Swear loud enough for others to hear you, pony up $20.
Those are the penalties up for debate at Middleboro's town meeting on June 11. A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Town Hall.
And already, they are provoking some blunt comments.
"I don't know what the big deal is if kids smoke a little dope in public," Robert H.H. Saquet, owner of Egger's Furniture, said when asked about the new fines being proposed by Police Chief Bruce D. Gates.
But others are all for it.
"We need to do something; the swearing is outrageous," said former selectwoman and downtown business owner Muriel C. Duphily.
The local fine for smoking marijuana in public, Chief Gates said, will be more effective than the current state fine of $100 for the same offense. That's because public pot-smokers can ignore the state fine.
"If they don't pay, nothing happens," Gates said.
Currently, police must summon to court those accused of violating the town bylaw on marijuana use. Under the proposed bylaw, officers would instead write a $300 ticket to be paid at the town clerk's office.
The state has approved the proposed ticket system. If town meeting approves it, it will become law in Middleboro. The same ticketing policy would apply to swearing in public, shoveling snow in the street and to other violations including disorderly conduct.
Residents did not mince words when asked about the fines, coming down on both sides of the issue.
"I didn't realize there was that many people blowing smoke for the chief to want to put a $300 bite on them," said Saquet, owner of the furniture store.
Mansfield passed a similar bylaw a few years back, imposing a $200 fine for public pot-smoking, said Saquet, who is town moderator there. But that bylaw was put in place to control pot smoking during concerts at the Comcast Center, and not for day-to-day infractions, he said.
Paulette Lilla, owner of The Custom Decorator, said marijuana isn't as much a problem as swearing is in downtown Middleboro.
"Recently, (marijuana use in public) seems to have improved," she said.
But, Lilla said, profanity among young people knows no bounds. She said teens swear across the street from one another and that she can hear it behind closed doors.
"It intimidates my customers," she said.
Duphily, who owns Willy's Auto Parts with her husband Wilfred, said she can sometimes smell marijuana. She supports the $300 fine. "You want to smoke marijuana in public, there you go," she said.
And she agreed with Lilla that profanity is bad for business
If the measure is approved at town meeting, those who contest tickets could appeal at court within 21 days, Gates said. Those who neglect to pay tickets could be charged criminally and could be arrested.
News Hawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Enterprise
Author: Alice C. Elwell
Copyright: GateHouse Media, Inc
Contact: The Enterprise Contact Us
Website: Middleboro to vote on $300 fine for smoking pot in public
Those are the penalties up for debate at Middleboro's town meeting on June 11. A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday at Town Hall.
And already, they are provoking some blunt comments.
"I don't know what the big deal is if kids smoke a little dope in public," Robert H.H. Saquet, owner of Egger's Furniture, said when asked about the new fines being proposed by Police Chief Bruce D. Gates.
But others are all for it.
"We need to do something; the swearing is outrageous," said former selectwoman and downtown business owner Muriel C. Duphily.
The local fine for smoking marijuana in public, Chief Gates said, will be more effective than the current state fine of $100 for the same offense. That's because public pot-smokers can ignore the state fine.
"If they don't pay, nothing happens," Gates said.
Currently, police must summon to court those accused of violating the town bylaw on marijuana use. Under the proposed bylaw, officers would instead write a $300 ticket to be paid at the town clerk's office.
The state has approved the proposed ticket system. If town meeting approves it, it will become law in Middleboro. The same ticketing policy would apply to swearing in public, shoveling snow in the street and to other violations including disorderly conduct.
Residents did not mince words when asked about the fines, coming down on both sides of the issue.
"I didn't realize there was that many people blowing smoke for the chief to want to put a $300 bite on them," said Saquet, owner of the furniture store.
Mansfield passed a similar bylaw a few years back, imposing a $200 fine for public pot-smoking, said Saquet, who is town moderator there. But that bylaw was put in place to control pot smoking during concerts at the Comcast Center, and not for day-to-day infractions, he said.
Paulette Lilla, owner of The Custom Decorator, said marijuana isn't as much a problem as swearing is in downtown Middleboro.
"Recently, (marijuana use in public) seems to have improved," she said.
But, Lilla said, profanity among young people knows no bounds. She said teens swear across the street from one another and that she can hear it behind closed doors.
"It intimidates my customers," she said.
Duphily, who owns Willy's Auto Parts with her husband Wilfred, said she can sometimes smell marijuana. She supports the $300 fine. "You want to smoke marijuana in public, there you go," she said.
And she agreed with Lilla that profanity is bad for business
If the measure is approved at town meeting, those who contest tickets could appeal at court within 21 days, Gates said. Those who neglect to pay tickets could be charged criminally and could be arrested.
News Hawk: Jim Behr: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: The Enterprise
Author: Alice C. Elwell
Copyright: GateHouse Media, Inc
Contact: The Enterprise Contact Us
Website: Middleboro to vote on $300 fine for smoking pot in public
