If there’s one thing that Massachusetts public officials — Democrat and Republican, urban and suburban, local and state — seem to agree on lately, it’s that the voters should not legalize marijuana at the polls this November.
First, the governor, the mayor of Boston and the attorney general (or, apparently, their staffs) penned a joint op-ed in The Boston Globe poo-pooing the proposed ballot question. Then, after a fact-finding trip to Colorado, a legislative panel issued a cautionary report, all but telling voters hopeful for legalization to grow up, wise up, and get off the damn State House lawn.
What is most remarkable about this unified stand is that, by every metric available, public opinion appears to favor legalization, and by wider margins with each passing year.
You cannot accuse lawmakers of governing according to the polls and public opinion. If anything, the opposite is happening here.
Past Outcomes Suggest Strong Start For Ballot Question
In the last 16 years, there have been 85 ballot questions in Massachusetts dealing with marijuana. All 85 passed. All but two of these were non-binding public policy questions, in which voters instruct their legislators how to vote on an issue, or to introduce legislation producing the desired result. These advisory questions have no legal impact, but are often used to test the waters for potential binding ballot questions, which come later.
By every metric available, public opinion appears to favor marijuana legalization, and by wider margins with each passing year.
Read more from the Source: Analysis: On Marijuana Legalization, Many Mass. Officials May Be On Wrong Side Of Public Opinion | WBUR
