Today, Massachusetts’ residents will be voting on Question 2–whether or not to decriminalize marijuana. No, this does not mean that if this bill is passed, you can walk around smoking and dealing marijuana, but rather it will not be considered a criminal offense. Essentially, this would mean that the penalty for possession would be akin to a speeding ticket. Specifically, individuals under 18 would have to pay a minimum $100 fine and would have to complete a drug awareness and community service program.

Those advocating on behalf of the passage of the bill, headed by the Massachusetts Sensible Marijuana Policy Initiative, cite the tremendous financial benefits that marijuana decriminalization would have for the state. A recent study estimated that this bill would save the state $130 million. This number represents the total cost of the booking, paperwork, and jailing fees incurred when individuals are arrested for possession. Furthermore, they cite that minor convictions (for under an ounce) have accounted for little to no decrease of drug use. The current standards mandate that possession be included in one’s criminal record, making finding a job (and getting into college) extremely difficult. Under this new bill, possession would not show up on your criminal record. Much of the fund raising in support of this bill has been driven by billionaire George Soros, who has contributed many hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Marijuana Policy Project.

On the other hand, The Coalition for Safe Streets vehemently opposes this bill. They contend that decriminalization would send the wrong message to youth and would make the process of selling drugs easier for dealers. One ounce is worth approximately $250-350. Additionally, they believe that making marijuana, a gateway drug, more accessible would lead children to experiment with other illicit and more harmful substances like cocaine and heroin. Another core element of their argument is that this new legislation will reverse the positive progress that has been made to crack down on drug use among teens. They estimate that the percentage of 8th to 10th graders who have used the drug has dropped form 33% to 25% since 2001. Also, the percentage of students who feel that smoking marijuana occasionally has negative health impacts has increased to 49% as of 2008.

According to Boston.com, as of October 24th, a poll by Suffolk University and WHDH Ch. 7 found fifty-one percent of registered voters supported Question 2. Thirty-two percent opposed it, and sixteen percent were undecided.