No on Question 4 Debate Points

City Council President Kevin A. Jourdain

A massive diverse list of highly respected people have come together to call out Question 4 as a bad idea and
we should listen to them:
"The question before us now is whether marijuana should be fully legal and widely available for commercial
sale. We think the answer is no." The Boston Globe - March 4, 2016
Governor Baker
Lt Governor Polito
House Speaker DeLeo
Attorney General Healey
Boston Mayor Walsh
ALL 13 Sheriffs of ALL 13 Counties of Massachusetts - including Hampden Sheriff Michael Ashe
Every District Attorney in Mass -including Hampden DA Gullini
Congressmen Niki Tsongas, Joe Kennedy, Stephen Lynch, Bill Keating
120 Members of the House of Reps & Senate vs only 10 in support.
Mass Chiefs of Police Assn.
Mass Assn of School Superintendents
Mass Municipal Assn [Mayor Morse begged the City Council to join them recently so we could get advice
from them but then ironically does not listen to that advice]
Massachusetts Medical Society Professional Organization for Massachusetts Physicians
Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association Professional Organization for Massachusetts Hospitals
Massachusetts School Nurses Association
Conference of Boston Teaching hospitals
Association of Behavioral Healthcare
Partners Healthcare
National Association of Mental Illness Mass Chapter
Health Foundation of Central Mass
Associated Industries of Mass
Retailers Assn of Mass
Construction Industries of Mass
Worcester Chamber of Commerce
Non-commercialized Marijuana already has wide permissiveness in Massachusetts and further expansion would
be harmful and unnecessary.

Personal Use of Marijuana is already decriminalized in Massachusetts to just a civil fine only (2009)
Medical Marijuana is already legal. (2013)

Mayor Morse is wrong to endorse Question 4 for many reasons:

Mayor Morse is the only Mayor in Massachusetts to endorse this very bad idea according to the Vote Yes
website.
Morse cites racial discriminatory policing practices as his primary justification for endorsing question 4,
however:

No evidence of this whatsoever and is highly insulting to the Holyoke Police dept and the other police of
Massachusetts.
In fact, the Mayor fails to cite the fact that after Marijuana was decriminalized in 2009 that arrests for
marijuana possession declined by 85% for people of all races. There are very few arrests for marijuana
of approximately 25/100,000 arrests.
Hardly the epidemic the Mayor is representing to the public. These stats are cited inside the ACLUs
own report. It should be further noted that the ACLU report is taking arrest data for the period 20012008 before decriminalization had occurred which is further skewing the data is relying upon.
Holyoke Police has had very few arrests or stops for violations of marijuana according to some in the
senior leadership of the department.
Unlike what the Mayor has represented in press statements on Q4 website, no resources are being
diverted from other drug and gun enforcement to arrest people for marijuana.

Therefore, while I respect the Mayor, however one has to ask should we believe every major elected official in
the state, all of our Sheriffs, Police, and District Attorneys, as well as, all of our Medical Professionals and
Business Leaders or Mayor Morse and the small fringe who are pushing question 4. Question 4 is propped up
by massive out of state funds from the pot industry who seeks to make billions off the misery of Massachusetts
residents.

Question 4 is really about creating a billion dollar Commercial Marijuana Industry in Massachusetts that will
lead to dangerous consequences that harms kids, and our communities.

Allows the sale and marketing of highly potent marijuana edibles like candy, cookies, gummy bears, and
soda that are attractive to young people and can lead to accidental overdose by kids and pets. [50% of
the sales in Colorado fit into this category]
o Childrens Hospital Denver has already experienced a significant increase in accidental digestion
since legalization there
o This is what the ballot question is really about
o There are more marijuana shops in Colorado then Starbucks and 7/11 combined.
Allows people to home grow thousands of dollars worth of marijuana even if neighbors object. We
cannot police abandoned cars and bad conditions but now we are going to allow people to create a farm
of marijuana in their yards.
Severely restricts the ability of cities and towns to control the number of marijuana retailers entering
communities and allows pot shops to locate near preschools and playgrounds.
Denver, CO alone in 2 years has seen 130 pot shops and 450 licensed marijuana businesses be located in
just that one city.

Ignores the deadly opioid epidemic and the impact of legalized pot will have on overall drug use.

Question 4 is flawed and this admitted to by even the supporters of the poorly written bill

If something like this is going to be done it should be handled by the legislature after testimony from
health experts and in consultation with law enforcement and NOT from commercial interests from
outside the state looking to make a buck.
Supporters of Question 4 including Mayor Morse admit there are flaws in the proposed bill. They claim
voters should just pass the bill and fix them afterwards. The responsible approach is to pass a smart bill
the first time and not fix an admitted bad bill later.

Joint Concerns Article in HealthCare News (Sept 2016)

Gov Peter Shumlin of Vermont, a marijuana recreational use supporter, says the Massachusetts bill is
seriously flawed and goes way too far.

Question 4 would allow edibles that have caused huge problems in other states, smoking lounges, home
delivery service, and possession of up to 10 ounces. Vermonts bill allows none of that. If
Massachusetts moves forward with their bill then the entire Southern part of our state could end up with
all the negatives of a bad pot bill.

Dr. James Gessner President of Mass Medical Society

Marijuana is the single most commonly used drug among adolescents and has significant effects on the
developing brain, impairs memory and judgment and with early prolonged use can have a distinct,
negative effect on intellectual development. At a time of risk taking in their lives, this drug really blunts
judgment.
Kids using marijuana face school failure, and difficulty keeping jobs.
Smoking marijuana is never to be promoted and is simply another form of lung attack.

Dr Robert Roose Chief Medical Officer for Addiction Services with SPHS

The bill would also lend a veneer of respectability to marijuana. Also, concern that providing access to
psychoactive substances that have negative consequences for some individuals, and sending a message
that marijuana products are safe and beneficial.

Healy/Baker/Walsh Article in Boston Globe (Massachusetts should not legalize Marijuana 3/4/16) and
other points in the Healthcare News article cite the following points:

There are serious and immediate implications for public safety. In the year after the drug was legalized
in Colorado, marijuana related emergency room visits increased nearly 30% as did traffic deaths
involving marijuana.
Edible marijuana products often in the form of brownies, candy or soda pose a particular threat to
children who mistake them for regular treats.
Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area found marijuana use in Colorado youths is up by
20% since law took effect in 2014. Kids reported that since the drug is legal for adults they think it must
be safe for them. The rate of teen use is down nationally but up in CO. CO is now the number one state
in USA for teen marijuana use.
Marijuana is more potent today THC the active ingredient - was 5% in 70s and can go up to 30%
now average is 17% in Colorado. Gessner
No provision in the bill for education, counseling or treatment of users.

Edibles account for 50% of sales in CO and the number of children under 10 who suffered from
marijuana exposure has increased by 150% in CO since 2014.
Edibles are marketed and packaged identically as regular products in the worst case of deception.
They will also be allowed to advertise on all forms of media which is banned for good reason by those
advertising cigarettes.
Expanding access to marijuana is too much of a drain on our overstretched health and safety resources.
[including ambulance rides, ED visits, and treatments] Any purported tax revenues would be vastly
insufficient to cover the added public health costs marijuana expansion would bring while the pot
producers and investors who are pushing this will gain all of the financial reward.
The toll on human life from illness and premature death is incalculable according to Dr Roose. What
tax revenue will cover that human cost?

Conclusion: Vote No on Question 4

Question 4 is a ballot measure thats all about commercialization, not legalization. Its a business plan disguised
as a law, designed to enable a billion-dollar-a-year commercial marijuana industry to set up shop all across
Massachusetts. Whatever you feel about marijuana, Question 4 is the wrong direction and goes too far.
Additional Information can be found at www.safeandhealthyma.com