Gov vows to uphold legalized pot laws
Gov. Charlie Baker — echoing the sentiment of state police and Boston cops — said Massachusetts authorities are going to abide by the wishes of Bay State voters and not go after those who are legally selling marijuana.
“We have two laws in Massachusetts: One that was passed by voters several years ago around the establishment of medical marijuana dispensaries, which are regulated and overseen by the commonwealth, and another law that was passed by the voters in 2016 that requires the state to create a legal infrastructure for recreational marijuana,” Baker said yesterday. “Those are the laws that state and local law enforcement officials are bound to uphold and that’s what they’re going to do.”
Baker’s comment came on the heels of a Herald report in which state and local law enforcement officials vowed they wouldn’t raid pot shops.
The concern over aggressive crackdowns arose after Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a statement he couldn’t guarantee the medical marijuana dispensaries, recreational pot shops, cultivators and customers would be immune from federal prosecution.
Lelling’s announcement came just days after Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded an Obama-era memo shielding businesses in states that had legalized pot.
“If people are engaged in illegal activities, we look forward to working with the feds any chance we have,” Baker said. “The one that I have expressed a particular interest in working with the feds on is fentanyl, because fentanyl every day is killing five or six people here in the commonwealth.”
Jim Borghesani of the Marijuana Policy Project lauded state authorities for promising to uphold state law.
“The state police and the Boston Police Department are taking a principled stance against U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling’s regressive direction on legal cannabis,” he said. “They are recognizing and respecting the will of voters. We hope all other police departments follow their lead.”
State officials, including the Cannabis Control Commission, have said they plan on moving forward with developing regulations for recreational marijuana use ahead of a July deadline.