BOSTON (CBS) – The push to legalize marijuana in Massachusetts took a big step forward last week, as a draft petition was released by the group behind a state ballot initiative.
Bay State Repeal is striving to have marijuana legalized not only for medicinal purposes but recreational ones as well like in Colorado and several other states.
The group says the question would allow adults 21 or older to purchase the drug from licensed sellers while also taking steps to ban sales to minors.
The petition would also have marijuana taxed and regulated like alcohol.
Dr. Kevin Hill, who works at McLean Hospital in Belmont and specializes in addiction, supports legalizing pot and makes the case in his new book “Marijuana: The Unbiased Truth About The World’s Most Popular Weed.”
The doctor told WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Joe Mathieu he likes the comparison between alcohol and marijuana because most people who use either don’t have problems with it.
The difference, he says, is that we talk about the dangers of alcohol but not as much with marijuana.
He says he has found that nine-percent of adults who use marijuana become addicted, which means that 9 out of 10 do not become addicted.
“Most people want it in the Commonwealth and around the country,” he said.
“I think you need to get in front of this and create policies that work rather than have strong advocates on either side craft policies that really don’t work.”
Hill says we can’t get medical marijuana right in the commonwealth.
“The dates for dispensaries (get) pushed back further and further,” he says.
“One good thing that has happened is it seems the new regime on Beacon Hill has decided to reboot with medical marijuana and finally admit that what happened previously was a debacle.”
WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Joe Mathieu reports:
