Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Special Senate Committee on Marijuana issued a report in March that makes recommendations for state action should voters approve a ballot measure in November to legalize recreational marijuana use.
“Committee members believe strongly that it would be prudent for Massachusetts to take a cautious approach to considering marijuana legalization, and continue to learn from the experience of other states,” Committee Chair Sen. Jason Lewis wrote in the opening letter.
The report remains neutral on whether the ballot question should be approved, focusing instead on areas where the committee would like to see changes in implementation.
“There’s very little of the public debate, at least so far, that gets at the complexity of what really should be part of this debate, which is again, not that this is a simple yes or no question, but, it’s all of these different important issues that have to be wrestled with,” Lewis said.
The report lists three primary areas of concern: public safety, economic and fiscal impacts, and public health. Under each category, the committee lists a number of issues that need to be addressed. These include how to determine when a driver is driving under the influence of marijuana, and the need for a THC blood concentration legal limit. The report also raises concerns over marijuana-infused edibles, and how to keep them out of the hands of children.
The report also takes aim at arguments made by proponents that legalization would boost state tax revenues. The report argues for a tax rate on recreational marijuana of between 20 percent and 46 percent, substantially higher than the 12 percent rate written in the ballot question. The report estimates potential tax revenues at $50 million to $60 million in the first few years of legalization.
Two marijuana-related initiatives have successfully made it onto the ballot in Massachusetts over the past decade, one that decriminalized small amounts and one that allowed medical marijuana. Both passed by large margins.
• Download the Report of the Special Senate Committee on Marijuana (868K PDF)