Massachusetts tiptoes into pot legalization; OK to smoke, not to sell

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

U.S. | Thu Dec 15, 2016 | 6:08am EST

Massachusetts tiptoes into pot legalization; OK to smoke, not to sell

By Scott Malone | BOSTON

Massachusetts on Thursday became the first state in the densely populated U.S. Northeast to legalize marijuana for recreational use, a step that advocates say could help spread the drug's acceptance across the United States.

The state is one of three where ballot measures legalizing recreational use of the drug passed on Nov. 8, along with California and Nevada, while voters in Arizona rejected it and a Maine ballot is still being recounted.

The Massachusetts measure legalizing use of the drug by adults 21 and older in private places passed by 54 percent to 46 percent, easily overcoming the opposition of prominent state officials in both parties.

Massachusetts is now one of eight U.S. states that have legalized use of the drug for recreational use since voters in Washington and Colorado first approved the idea in 2012. But the measure approved last month does not allow the drug to be sold in the state legally until 2018, a delay that advocates said was intended to give state officials time to determine how to implement the law.

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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-massachusetts-marijuana-idUSKBN144195

[Warren DeMontague]

1. I wouldn't really call it "tiptoeing". All the other legal states went through the same process.

For instance, there was a gap in CO and WA between legalization and the implementation of recreational sales- same with Oregon and now, Alaska.

Two unique factors with Oregon that I would point out are, the state's government was in large part on board including Gov. Kate Brown, and Oregon already shared a border with WA which had recreational sales up and running. So rather than foot-drag and complain, OR's legislature got to work and set up a system whereby existing medical dispensaries could engage in limited recreational sales until the full system was up and running with specific licensed recreational dispensaries.

MA could do the same, I would think, but it would require a level of cooperation from the elected reps that I don't know they're willing to provide.