Officials certified a ballot legalizing recreational marijuana in Massachusetts Thursday but roadblocks to full implementation remain.
Voters approved a ballot measure legalizing recreational marijuana use in the state on Election Day, garnering a slim victory. The ballot — which survived criticism from business groups, the Catholic Church and state politicians — passed with 1.8 million votes. The Governor’s Council, an eight-member body, certified the results Wednesday, revealing 1.5 million votes against the measure. Marijuana possession, home cultivation and use in private areas is now legal in the state, but it will take another 12-months for officials to fully implement the new law, reports The Boston Globe.
Public consumption is still illegal under Massachusetts law and it will take a year for officials to establish the regulatory framework for a commercial market. Over the next year it will be illegal to sell up to an ounce of marijuana, but it will be legal to purchase it, creating a degree of legal confusion among users and state police.
The police are also concerned over how to enforce limits on possession and the number of plants grown in a private residence.
“It’s going to be a challenge, a real challenge, for law enforcement to make sure people are adhering to the 12-plant limit,” Sgt. Scott Pendleton, a marijuana enforcement officer in Aurora, Colo., told The Boston Globe. “You’re going to see an increase in illegal cultivation and smuggling out of state. There’s going to have to be a concerted effort by law enforcement to go after it because it’s a big money business.”
Question 4 in Massachusetts passed with 54 percent Nov. 8 making it the first state on the East Coast to legalize recreational marijuana, followed by Maine. The ballot allows up to 12 marijuana plants grown per residence and allows for retail shops beginning Jan. 1, 2018.
Despite the official certification, alleged efforts to undermine the ballot may still threaten its full implementation. State lawmakers are already attempting to delay retail pot shops until mid-2018, according to reports. Some state officials insist that more time is needed to establish the regulatory structure and the Cannabis Control Commission, a three-person body that will oversee state marijuana operations.
Secretary of State William Galvin attempted to ease fears, saying in November that marijuana activists have nothing to worry about, and promising there is no calculated effort to undermine the ballot.
The state treasurer must appoint members to the Cannabis Control Commission by March, 2017, so they can begin constructing a regulatory framework for commercial sale.
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