GreenSurfer
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SPRINGFIELD - Police Commissioner William J. Fitchet and 10 of his counterparts from throughout Hampden County gathered in Springfield Tuesday to speak against a Nov. 4 ballot question that seeks to decriminalize possession of one ounce or less of marijuana.
Fitchet and others said marijuana is a "gateway" drug and its sale and use is inextricably linked to gang violence.
"This question, which is referred to as the 'sensible' marijuana policy is anything but sensible, said Fitchet.
Fitchet, former head of the department's narcotics division, said he has seen firsthand the ravages of drugs on the city. A yes vote on Question 2 would decriminalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, and a no vote would keep the current laws.
Under Question 2 on the statewide ballot, the criminal penalties for possessing one ounce or less of marijuana would be replaced with a new system of civil penalties enforced with citations.
Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr. said he too has had a front row seat to what he described as the scourge of drugs and alcohol.
Ashe said when he first started in 1975 he had 89 staff members to watch over 150 inmates. Today, those numbers have stretched to 2,000 inmates and about 955 staff.
Some 85 percent of those inmates are where they are today thanks to drugs and alcohol.
"They start small, with marijuana," Ashe said. "All you have to do is ask a drug addict. ... The great decay and the great scourge of our communities has been drugs."
Decriminalization, Ashe said would send "the wrong message."
Holyoke Police Chief Anthony R. Scott agreed that the marijuana, like the harder drugs, contributes to gang violence.
A major drug bust in Holyoke this past Monday netted over $1,000 worth of marijuana along with cocaine and crack cocaine.
"Marijuana is a gateway drug and we should all acknowledge that fact," Scott said.
Hampden Police Chief Jeffrey W. Farnsworth, said the problem is not limited to the cities.
A stabbing incident last week on Rock-A-Dundee road was marijuana-related, Farnsworth said.
"A 20-year-old man almost lost his life over less than an ounce of marijuana," Farnsworth said.
Hampden police arrested two Springfield men and two 16-year-olds who were caught fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
The towns and cities of Chicopee, Ludlow, West Springfield, Wilbraham, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow and Agawam were also represented by their police chiefs or other police officials.
If the question is passed by a majority of voters, it would take effect on Dec. 4, according to the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which placed the question on the ballot.
Offenders ages 18 and above would forfeit their marijuana and would pay a civil penalty of $100.
People younger than 18 would be hit with the same $100 penalty and forfeiture if they complete a drug awareness program that includes 10 hours of community service and at least four hours of group discussion on preventing drug abuse.
The 11 district attorneys in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, and the state sheriffs oppose the ballot question.
Fitchet and others said marijuana is a "gateway" drug and its sale and use is inextricably linked to gang violence.
"This question, which is referred to as the 'sensible' marijuana policy is anything but sensible, said Fitchet.
Fitchet, former head of the department's narcotics division, said he has seen firsthand the ravages of drugs on the city. A yes vote on Question 2 would decriminalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana, and a no vote would keep the current laws.
Under Question 2 on the statewide ballot, the criminal penalties for possessing one ounce or less of marijuana would be replaced with a new system of civil penalties enforced with citations.
Hampden County Sheriff Michael J. Ashe Jr. said he too has had a front row seat to what he described as the scourge of drugs and alcohol.
Ashe said when he first started in 1975 he had 89 staff members to watch over 150 inmates. Today, those numbers have stretched to 2,000 inmates and about 955 staff.
Some 85 percent of those inmates are where they are today thanks to drugs and alcohol.
"They start small, with marijuana," Ashe said. "All you have to do is ask a drug addict. ... The great decay and the great scourge of our communities has been drugs."
Decriminalization, Ashe said would send "the wrong message."
Holyoke Police Chief Anthony R. Scott agreed that the marijuana, like the harder drugs, contributes to gang violence.
A major drug bust in Holyoke this past Monday netted over $1,000 worth of marijuana along with cocaine and crack cocaine.
"Marijuana is a gateway drug and we should all acknowledge that fact," Scott said.
Hampden Police Chief Jeffrey W. Farnsworth, said the problem is not limited to the cities.
A stabbing incident last week on Rock-A-Dundee road was marijuana-related, Farnsworth said.
"A 20-year-old man almost lost his life over less than an ounce of marijuana," Farnsworth said.
Hampden police arrested two Springfield men and two 16-year-olds who were caught fleeing the scene in a vehicle.
The towns and cities of Chicopee, Ludlow, West Springfield, Wilbraham, Longmeadow, East Longmeadow and Agawam were also represented by their police chiefs or other police officials.
If the question is passed by a majority of voters, it would take effect on Dec. 4, according to the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which placed the question on the ballot.
Offenders ages 18 and above would forfeit their marijuana and would pay a civil penalty of $100.
People younger than 18 would be hit with the same $100 penalty and forfeiture if they complete a drug awareness program that includes 10 hours of community service and at least four hours of group discussion on preventing drug abuse.
The 11 district attorneys in Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, and the state sheriffs oppose the ballot question.
