As a leap of progression for Massachusetts, the marijuana legalization bill will set its meeting tomorrow, in hopes of following the leads of states that have legalized the plant, such as Alaska, Colorado, Oregon and Washington.
The Massachusetts Joint Committee on the Judiciary will have a hearing on Wednesday. The meeting will focus on a proposed bill that would finally regulate and legalize the use of marijuana.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is led by Dick Evans, its chairman, and supports a 2016 ballot initiative to put an end to marijuana prohibition and criminalization in Massachusetts. Evans assisted in drafting the bill, called H.1561, and will join Rep. David Rogers, lead house sponsor, to show strong support of the bill.
According to the official press release published in various marijuana news blogs, Evans and Rogers will be available for the media to answer questions at 12:30 ET. The two will entertain reporters right outside the hearing room in the State House, and it will also be an opportunity for them to discuss the details of the legislation.
Evans and Rogers will also talk about how it would be better for Massachusetts if marijuana is legalized, because it will run in a system that will make it regulated and taxed in the same way as alcohol.
"It's time for Massachusetts to replace the failed policy of marijuana prohibition with a more sensible system in which marijuana is regulated similarly to alcohol," said Evans in a statement, as published in The Weed Blog, a go-to source for information for marijuana news from all over the world.
"We support this legislative effort, but we are also committed to moving forwards with the initiative so that voters can take over if the legislature fails to act," added Evans in the same post.
A website called Regulatemassachusetts.org is the online hub for all the information needed about the bill. In the homepage, the benefits for legalization are listed, such as safer communities, and its role in boosting the state's economy.
Evans added that whether the legalization occurs as a result of voting or in the legislature, the result will be the same.
"Our communities will be safer because marijuana will be produced and sold by licensed businessmen instead of criminals in the underground market," further explained Evans in the same statement. Evans went on to suggest that if marijuana is legalized in the states, the citizens will be safer because the police will have more time addressing more serious crimes instead of enforcing failed prohibition laws.
"Adults will no longer be punished simply for using a substance that is significantly less harmful than alcohol," Evans concluded.
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