SpiralArchitect

Supporters of initiative to change pot laws deny legalization goal
9/25/2008|Boston Herald|Edward Mason

Backers of a ballot question to decriminalize some pot possession fired back at charges that their initiative is a gateway for weaker drug laws - and took aim at the Herald for uncovering who’s funding the movement.

“(The Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy) does not support marijuana ‘legalization’ or endorse or condone marijuana use, as the Herald is well aware” wrote campaign manager Whitney Taylor in an e-mail.

Taylor, who would not be interviewed, also wrote: “The Herald’s effort to confuse Bay Staters into thinking Question 2 is about marijuana legalization is a disservice to voters.”

The Herald reported yesterday that the ballot committee received 30 percent of its money from the Marijuana Policy Project, a Washington, D.C., group that promotes legal, over-the-counter sales of marijuana.

Overall, $400,000 - 63 percent - of the $635,000 it raised came from George Soros, a billionaire philanthropist. He is on the board of the Drug Policy Alliance Network, a New York group that backs legalization of marijuana.

If passed, Question 2 would not make pot legal. It would make having an ounce or less of marijuana a civil rather than criminal offense punishable by a $100 fine. Minors would have to complete a drug awareness program if caught, and their parents would be notified.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerard Leone said it’s fair to scrutinize the money behind the movement.

“The fact that Question 2 is being financed by activists who support over-the-counter marijuana is further evidence that they have a larger, pro-drug mission,” Leone said in a statement.

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