No on Q4. Wrong Law. Wrong Time. Wrong for Massachusetts.

Vote No On Massachusetts Question 4 to Commercialize Marijuana.jpgThis law was written to benefit the commercial marijuana industry, will introduce an entirely new pot edibles market, and will harm our families and communities. Here are some of the facts:

  • The proposed law is written to benefit the commercial marijuana industry Massachusetts has already decriminalized marijuana possession and authorized medical marijuana. People are not being jailed for marijuana use, and have access to it for health reasons. This ballot question is about allowing the national marijuana industry to come into Massachusetts and market and sell marijuana products in our communities.

  • It incorporates the laxest “home grow” provision in the country, allowing individual households to grow up to 12 marijuana plants at a value in the tens of thousands of dollars. This provision will have a significant impact on public safety, and has led to the creation of an entirely new black market in Colorado.
  • marijuana-edibles-youth-use-teen-targets-noon4-in-massachusettsIt specifically authorizes marijuana edibles (products like candy bars and gummy bears), oils and concentrates. It specifically limits communities’ ability to restrict the locations and growth of pot shops. Two years into legalization, Colorado has more marijuana stores than Starbucks and McDonalds combined—and the numbers keep growing.
  • Wrong for our kids and families
    Today’s Marijuana is much more potent than it was even a generation ago. Bud marijuana for sale in Colorado averages 17% to 18% THC, which is several times more potent than was common in the 1980s, while THC concentrates can have potency as high as 97%,
  • youth-marijuana-rates-in-colorado-after-legalization-noon4-in-massachusettsSince becoming the first state to legalize, Colorado has also become the #1 state in the nation for teen marijuana use. Use by teens aged 12-17 jumped by over 12% in the two years since legalization, even as that rate declined nationally.
  • marijuana-impaired-driving-deaths-noon4-massachusettsCommercial legalization has led to more fatal car crashes. In Washington, the number of fatal car crashes involving marijuana doubled in the one year since legalization.

 

  • The marijuana edibles market is dangerous for kids, and a huge part of the commercial industry’s profit model. Marijuana infused products such as candies, cookies, and “cannabis cola” account for nearly 50% of the sales in Colorado, and that number is growing. These products are often indistinguishable from traditional products and attractive to children, placing them at significant risk of accidental use.

Support the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts. And, vote “No” on Question 4.