Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Diana DiZolgio, a Massachusetts state representative from Methuen, is asking Gov. Charlie Baker to veto the bill rewriting the state's marijuana laws, arguing that the legislation doesn't go far enough in setting aside money for substance abuse issues.
Lawmakers sent the bill to his desk last week after a small group of negotiators hammered out a compromise behind closed doors. The bill revises two voter-approved laws: The recreational marijuana law passed in November 2016 and medical marijuana law passed in 2012.
The bill comes as the state faces a tight timeline to set up a regulatory structure overseeing legal marijuana and retail pot shops slated to open in July 2018. Baker, who opposed legalization, said his administration intends to honor the will of the voters who approved legalization.
DiZoglio, a Democrat, voted against the compromise bill that landed on Baker's desk. She says legalization of marijuana opens a "Pandora's Box" and the bill lacks a commitment to funnel resources towards addiction services despite a higher tax rate on marijuana.
"While we have a responsibility to honor the will of the voters in legalizing marijuana, we must also make certain that we are providing for the potential unintended consequences of legalization, especially as it pertains to youth in the Commonwealth," she wrote in a letter to Baker.
An earlier version of a bill rewriting marijuana laws included an annual $50 million substance abuse fund, with $5 million set aside for local education officials.
"The [final compromise] that now sits before you completely lacks any funds designated toward a substance abuse fund of any kind," DiZoglio wrote.
DiZolgio said history shows that if there isn't a specific allocation of tax revenue, anti-addiction efforts don't receive much money. She pointed to the state's cigarette tax.
"As there is no required dollar amount or percentage of generated revenue directed toward anti-smoking programs, less than 1 percent of revenue goes toward addressing smoking cessation annually," she wrote. "Likewise, businesses who serve alcohol in Massachusetts pay an excise tax on their products, with virtually none of that revenue going toward substance abuse programs."
DiZolgio added that it's "unacceptable that no revenue generated from marijuana sales will be guaranteed for substance abuse programs, especially since we are still in the middle of an opioid epidemic and overall substance abuse crisis."
A veto would allow lawmakers to go back and insert a substance abuse fund, she said.
The Massachusetts Medical Society, an organization that had opposed the legalization of marijuana, has praised the compromise bill.
"From a public health perspective, this compromise bill represents a significant step forward," Henry Dorkin, the Massachusetts Medical Society president, said in a statement last week.
"Inclusion of public health experts within the Cannabis Control Commission structure and funding earmarked for public and behavioral health, prevention, treatment, intervention and critical research related to marijuana use demonstrate a focus on the health of the people of Massachusetts," he added. "We are encouraged by the labeling and packaging requirements and the incorporation of warnings on marijuana products, as well as marketing and advertising restrictions in place to reduce youth consumption."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Massachusetts lawmaker Diana DiZoglio urges Gov. Charlie Baker to veto marijuana law rewrite | masslive.com
Author: Gintautas Dumcius,
Contact: Contact Us - MassLive Media Solutions
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Massachusetts Local News, Breaking News, Sports and Weather - MassLive.com
Lawmakers sent the bill to his desk last week after a small group of negotiators hammered out a compromise behind closed doors. The bill revises two voter-approved laws: The recreational marijuana law passed in November 2016 and medical marijuana law passed in 2012.
The bill comes as the state faces a tight timeline to set up a regulatory structure overseeing legal marijuana and retail pot shops slated to open in July 2018. Baker, who opposed legalization, said his administration intends to honor the will of the voters who approved legalization.
DiZoglio, a Democrat, voted against the compromise bill that landed on Baker's desk. She says legalization of marijuana opens a "Pandora's Box" and the bill lacks a commitment to funnel resources towards addiction services despite a higher tax rate on marijuana.
"While we have a responsibility to honor the will of the voters in legalizing marijuana, we must also make certain that we are providing for the potential unintended consequences of legalization, especially as it pertains to youth in the Commonwealth," she wrote in a letter to Baker.
An earlier version of a bill rewriting marijuana laws included an annual $50 million substance abuse fund, with $5 million set aside for local education officials.
"The [final compromise] that now sits before you completely lacks any funds designated toward a substance abuse fund of any kind," DiZoglio wrote.
DiZolgio said history shows that if there isn't a specific allocation of tax revenue, anti-addiction efforts don't receive much money. She pointed to the state's cigarette tax.
"As there is no required dollar amount or percentage of generated revenue directed toward anti-smoking programs, less than 1 percent of revenue goes toward addressing smoking cessation annually," she wrote. "Likewise, businesses who serve alcohol in Massachusetts pay an excise tax on their products, with virtually none of that revenue going toward substance abuse programs."
DiZolgio added that it's "unacceptable that no revenue generated from marijuana sales will be guaranteed for substance abuse programs, especially since we are still in the middle of an opioid epidemic and overall substance abuse crisis."
A veto would allow lawmakers to go back and insert a substance abuse fund, she said.
The Massachusetts Medical Society, an organization that had opposed the legalization of marijuana, has praised the compromise bill.
"From a public health perspective, this compromise bill represents a significant step forward," Henry Dorkin, the Massachusetts Medical Society president, said in a statement last week.
"Inclusion of public health experts within the Cannabis Control Commission structure and funding earmarked for public and behavioral health, prevention, treatment, intervention and critical research related to marijuana use demonstrate a focus on the health of the people of Massachusetts," he added. "We are encouraged by the labeling and packaging requirements and the incorporation of warnings on marijuana products, as well as marketing and advertising restrictions in place to reduce youth consumption."
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Massachusetts lawmaker Diana DiZoglio urges Gov. Charlie Baker to veto marijuana law rewrite | masslive.com
Author: Gintautas Dumcius,
Contact: Contact Us - MassLive Media Solutions
Photo Credit: Getty Images
Website: Massachusetts Local News, Breaking News, Sports and Weather - MassLive.com
