The two Massachusetts campaigns that seek to end cannabis prohibition are facing a petition deadline tomorrow for their proposals: 64,750 valid signatures are required to put their proposals in front of the state legislature, which may then choose to pass the law outright. If the legislature fails to act, an additional 10,792 signatures will be needed by July to get the proposals in front of voters during the November 2016 election.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, an advocacy group backed by the Washington-D.C. based Marijuana Policy Project, has already raised more than enough signatures. Today, campaign leaders are submitting their 103,000 petition signatures to the Elections Division of the Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Meanwhile, the Bay State Repeal group is a grassroots campaign that has been endorsed in an editorial by the Boston Globe and by the Massachusetts chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. It remains uncertain whether Bay State Repeal has secured enough signatures.
One of many differences between the campaigns is their proposed taxation rates: BSR is calling for a 6.25% state tax with no option for a local tax, while the CRMLA’s proposal includes a 10% state tax and the option for up to 2% in local taxes. The BSR proposal also includes an expunging of old marijuana offense records by the state’s Executive Branch.
For more info, visit the campaign websites above or read more here.
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