Despite Decriminalization Law Attendees Get Ticketed At Boston Pro-Pot Rally

The Boston Globe:

The new law decriminalizes possession of less than an ounce of marijuana. But that did not stop police from handing out handfuls of $100 tickets when they caught festival-goers with pot.

Read the whole story: The Boston Globe

Comments

[hig94yud]

Why? because possession of marijuana is against the federal law. the federal law always preempts sate law.

[jqcitizen]

In California there is a attempt to ban the smoking of a cigarette, in your own home. Smoking tobacco, in many public places, has been illegal for years. -Of course, California also allows the legal sale of marijuana, as a medicine. Go figure.

The enforcement of laws, like these, seem to be left up to the discretion of the officer. After all, not every speeding violation results in a citation.

[reuscel]

The new law clearly states that if you're caught with an ounce or less, it's a $100 fine. While I'm glad that Question 2 passed in MA, it's not a "Get Out of Being An Idiot Free" card. If you're dumb enough to smoke weed in the Common with cops around, you deserve the ticket. It's not that much different than being caught drinking in public. The key to either of these activities is discretion.

[Lasnoe]

" the most important issue going on in America right now"? really???

Look what it takes to motivate the left to hit the streets in protest while we have Americans complaining about excessive government spending and other real issues and they get mocked for it.....

Welcome to......... The Twilight Zone

[kcmookie]

Uh huh. Some people want to smoke weed, lets see how you respond when the government wants to take away your guns or promote gay marriage, well?

[Lasnoe]

please..... i'm all for the legalizing weed..... But lets calibrate our reality meter just a little bit.....

this isn't the most important issue on the table right now..... but i'm not even going to hold that comment against the wizard, tea bagger who said that...... Could I call him a tea bagger??? Im confused.... are we suppose to mock all protesters? The ones that act like fools???? Or just the ones that are conservative???

This is the true point of my post...... how do you, the compassionate left, feel like it ok to mock a certain group when they are arguable protesting a more important issue than legalizing weed???? They have over a hundred thousand people show up and you guys trivialize it.... write them off as kooks.....

I would hope you would be against the government taking away the peoples guns..... for one, it's an explicit constitutionally protected right to have guns....... if you respect the Constitution (the instrument that limits our government) you too should be concerned if guns were trying to be banned by our government....

Your argument is just bizarre....you'd be the wiser not to speculate my position on certain issues.... that is if you cared to make a valid argument.....cuz i'm all for having gays married.... well?

[jws2346]

Excuse me for stepping on anyone's toes, but I didn't believe for a minute these redneck authoritarians were going to give up poop (PC for that other word beginning with "S"). See, now there's no judicial expense, judges, courts, bookings, even court stenographers cost big bucks, all they gotta' do now is write a $100 dollar ticket and sit back and figure "the money is in da mail". Kinda' like legal extortion, methinks the public getting played as "suckers"

[scottyknows]

Funny seeing people protesting for the right to become even dumber.

Can they get dumber?

Yes they Can--nabis.

[GaryNMaine]

Scotty knows nothing.

[washlib]

Go ahead and use Pharma for all of your illnesses and aches and pains. I'll stick with mj, an herb given to us by spirit.

Lets see who has more med-related complications...huh?

You show your complete ignorance, by spouting off generalizations. A little research would show you the truth, but then you'd have to admit your wrong and ignorant, something reichwingers are loath to do..

[AbbieXHoffman]

I don't get it. If it's not a crime, how can they ticket?

[reuscel]

It's been decriminalized, not legalized. If you're caught, it doesn't go on your record, but you do pay a fine. The law was pretty clear when it was changed.

[hig94yud]

possession of marijuana is against the federal law. the federal law always preempts sate law.

[mcnary]

cops never miss a chance to flex that cop muscle... gets then off ...real crime way too dangerous.

[beckpod1]

I was going to write a couple of harsh reply messages...but..puff..puff........
I respect their right to be clever and passionate...puff..puff...!

[MJHammonds]

Hey...don't bogart that joint, my friend!

[Sing Out and Slap Iron]

Exactly! The phrase is puff, puff, pass!

[Coinyer101]

2008 had the second largest number of marijuana arrests in history. 800,000+ arrests and violations of civil liberties, in one year. And our gubment won't even seriously investigate warcriminals from the last administration? What a load o' 'horse-hockey'.....,

[whatthel]

Fanned.

[ChelseaC]

Well said Coinyer.

[SamKnause]

Our elected and appointed government officials are above the law. The law only applies to we the people. Our government is bought and paid for and nothing we vote for matters. Lobbyist pay to get the laws written and passed. Our government hands over our tax dollars to banks, our government allows large corporations to pollute the planet, our government allows corporations to legally steal from us. Our government is not for and does not represent we the people. Our government does not care about this country or they would not be destroying it from the inside.

[RepugsOut08]

Amen!

[MikaS]

I agree.

[cnobody]

i guess i'm missing something. they got tickets because of decriminalization, not despite decriminalization. if it weren't decriminalized, they probably would have been arrested. if you were to pop a few brews in the park, you'd probably get a ticket as well.

[Tulka2]

Good point! It is illegal to drink in parks too. Seriously, one of the things that happens when culture is disrupted, is that the old rituals, manners, and mother-wisdom are forgotten.

Example: In Europe they have always known it's not good to drink while pregnant. In this country, after prohibition was rescinded, the general populace did not believe one thing authority told them about any negative effects of alcohol because authority had LIED to them for so long. We had to be taught all over again.... and it's still not really sunk in.

[washlib]

and all those mothers who continued to drink gave birth...to reichwingers..

[ObamAtomic]

Don't matter tickets will be dismissed,police are enforcers,judges decide the law.

[judgejay]

Don't be so sure. The states are strapped for cash and tickets are a cash cow.

[ObamAtomic]

Strapped or not,the law is the law.

[RJII]

when I'd smoke the good stuff, I wanted to eat everything while wading in my whirlpool. What could be wrong with that..

[letsgetitonnow]

this is a lib convention ha ha arrest them all

[brahdog]

actually there are many conservative libertarian types on the blaze train

[letsgetitonnow]

this is what america sees when they hear dumbacrat and obama

[ccoppe]

Tedious!

This sentiment perfectly articulates the difference between ignorant ideology and the true libertarian character of American republicanism as embodied in the Constitution of the United States.

Real patriots -- whether from the left or the right -- argue their position intelligently -- without insults.

[yemaya]

that's so funny I forgot to laugh (insert Rosanadana snort)

[RJII]

sounds like that's what hyprocrite Rethug trolls see.

[Tulka2]

Sean McGivney, 19, of Hampton, N.H., was one of several interviewed who received tickets.

“We were sitting politely, minding our own business, making a point not to smoke when people were around,” he said. “That is when a guy came up and told us to ‘hand it over.’”

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Well, there's the problem. What happened to manners in America? It is really impolite to imbibe any substance, whether it is a Mars bar, or a whiskey flask, or a joint, without offering it around. Going off into tight little "Chicago circles" is really bad manners. Perhaps if they had offered the man a hit, he would not have ticketed them.

Heh.

[RagingLatka]

I understand but, I don't know what you're talking about.

[Tulka2]

( Do you really suppose every bit of that confiscated doobie made it back to the station house?)

[SimianNation]

great avatar

[SimianNation]

More human destruction is caused by alcohol, than it is by marijuana. That Copper is a fact that cannot be denied. The alcohol lobby has far more resources at its disposal to help defend the current legal structure against the use of cannabis. Thus ensuring, at the cost of far greater human destruction, the profits that they have come to not just enjoy, but now expect to maintain.

When people talk of the immoral nature of drugs, they conveniently forget to include their tasty booze.

Legalize it!
Don't criticize it!
I'll advertise it!

420 FREEDOM NOW. GROW IT! SELL IT! TAX IT!