Almost all of the money that funds the legalization of marijuana comes from out of state Washington, D.C., special interest groups. It is all about the money for them.
All of the vote “no” money comes from those concerned with public health. That alone should tell you something.
Joan Vennochi’s Vote No Globe article on Friday outlines how this ballot question was written by the proponents and lacks many of the safeguards which it would need if passed. She highlights how they have basically written their own ticket.
This will be a billion dollar industry that will wreak havoc on many should it pass. There will be pot shops in our town squares. Edibles like gummy bears, cookies, cupcakes, candy, cannabis cola and more will find its way into our children’s hands.
While we are talking about that, the front page of the Globe Thursday had an article quoting a Colorado veterinarian saying they are having several emergency cases a week of dog sickness caused by them getting into edibles.
Also, this is not the marijuana you smoked in college, it is much more potent. It will suck the energy and ambition from our youth and substitute complacency. Ask anyone in recovery and they will say marijuana was a step toward their addiction.
Yes it is a gateway drug, not for all, but for many. Of those many there will be addiction, and from that addiction people will die!
Good for Governor Baker, Speaker DeLeo, Attorney General Maura Healey, Mayor Marty Walsh, Joe Kennedy, a multitude of legislators along with medical and law enforcement communities and the Catholic Church for their opposition to this very dangerous ballot question. They are the ones that are concerned with our public health! The fallout here will be great should this pass.
In Colorado, there are more marijuana shops than Starbucks and McDonalds. Colorado has had a 29 percent increase in marijuana related emergency room visits and a substantial rise in traffic deaths involving traffic in marijuana since its passage.
Watertown has created a task force to address this problem, we have held candlelight vigils highlighting awareness, Erasing the Stigma, prevention, and those we have lost to this crisis.
Why would we ever, in the midst of this national crisis, be foolish enough to pass this question?
PLEASE VOTE NO ON QUESTION 4!
John S. Airasian
Watertown Resident
(Editor’s Note: the last letters about the Nov. 8 election will be run on Sunday Nov. 6, and must be submitted by Saturday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m.)
Great article highlighting the dangers to our friends and family as well as to our society. I will vote not to legalize marijuana on this issue and hope that many other like minded people do as well. The Voters of Watertown are smart people, and they know that when out of state money starts to pour into our state to get us to vote for something then that something will make the out of staters plenty of money and we will have the misery.
Use Common Sense and Vote NO on Question 4
Linking cannabis to the opioid crisis is entirely incorrect & demonstrates your lack of understanding of both issues – doctors believe that it can help those with opiate addiction & it can reduce the number of prescriptions doctors are writing for opiates to begin with.
You completely ignored the larger social issue of racial discrimination i.e. who gets arrested & who doesn’t – which does matter, a lot.
Illegal drug sales fund cartels; this is neither a lie nor exaggeration it’s fact & they secretly grow a lot of it in US National Parks destroying our beautiful natural resources.
Since cannabis was decriminalized in MA (4 years ago) there has been no correlation with a rise in crime or violence. Thousands of pounds are being sold on the black market every day in MA & it’s about time that we started collecting tax on it (& regulating it to make sure that it’s safe from things like mold, pests & chemicals).
Cannabis was legalized in Colorado, Oregon, Washington, Alaska & DC & their children continue to go to school & have ambition. Adults have successfully kept their cannabis from children & pets (for the most part, as much as they’ve kept them from their alcohol & prescription meds)
It has been scientifically proven that ingesting cannabis is not as bad for the human body as alcohol or cigarettes, by a wide margin.
There is no record of anyone ever dying from a cannabis overdose.
Ask CO Gov Hickenlooper about the 120 million in tax revenue last year, that would fund a lot of historic projects, playgrounds, Victory Field Phase II & III & maybe even roads & curbs.
Watch either of Dr. Sanjay Gupta’s CNN documentaries on cannabis & learn the facts. The story of Charlotte’s Web (a plant strain developed specifically to treat seizures) will have you in tears.
YES ON 4! Tax & regulate!
Taxing and regulating liquor has not done much in regards to the number of young people killed in accidents due to drinking. Why do you think that the same will not happen with Pot? I have been around a while so please don’t give me the standard dumb responses. BTW We are not talking medical marijuana here so please stay on subject.
Cannabis & alcohol have profoundly different effects on the human body & the real evidence about cannabis dui is the lack of evidence to be found in data from states with legalization; cannabis impaired driving has not become a looming monster in any of the states that already have a few years of experience with legalization (CO, WA, OR, AK, DC or CA where medical has been commonplace for a decade)
The data doesn’t support your claim; just read Tommy’s comment.
Yes on 4 endorsements:
Our State Senator, Will Brownsberger (bold, I’ve voted for you before & I will again this Tuesday)
Boston Globe
ACLU (why do they care? because racism)
Also, there are specific guidelines in the law that restrict marketing to children & what packaging can look like.
Your head in the sand approach to cannabis is foolish when legalization is clearly being ushered in in the US & around the world.
It’s the true green economy, Tax & Regulate!
You’re welcome Fred
*MA decriminalized in 2008 – 8 years ago, not 4 as I incorrectly stated in my original post.
Thanks for adding that John.
You are so right, they get the money and we get the misery.
You are so Wrong…..Cannabis is a cure all and the Big $$$ Pharma Companies are voting no……Legalized Pot is for 21 and older. Watch your children and pets like you are supposed to and educate the truths not lies…..I have driven a car high probably over 100,000 times….never been pulled over for driving that way….or given a ticket….Who are trying to generate revenue off its legalization? HMMM
AND Pot has nothing to do w/ an Opioid Crisis….Legalization of Marijuana would help it actually……Nobody cares what the Catholic Church cares about due to their pension for little boys…..And where are all the arrests for drugged driving before the legalization…..like nobody did it before the ballot question…..Wakeup
Tax & regulate! hahaha! That’s a good one! Thanks for the laugh!
There are multiple cases of marijuana impaired driving already, Chronicled in the tab on a regular basis.
The fact that you have driven your car high so many times is a good reason to dismiss all your thoughts on this subject.
I believe that adults should be able to smoke pot without being arrested. However, from what I read, the consequences of legalization in some states have not been tallied and many from those states advise that we wait and see. The money behind this question tells me that it hasn’t been written with public health in mind, only profit. Colorado has not seen the black market disappear. Legislators say they will fix things like the ridiculously low tax. We haven’t even figured out how to do medical pot yet. Let’s do it right and not through a ballot question written for profit only.
Alcohol is THE gateway drug, just ask every addict. Probably a good idea to make it illegal and take it out of the publics hands before they hurt themselves, that will probably work, right?