Officials hurry to hash out new marijuana law

By Jessica Van Sack

"Now that voters have decided that carrying small amounts of pot shouldn't be a crime, public safety officials are scrambling to determine how to make that happen."

"Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday directed Public Safety Secretary Kevin M. Burke to work with Attorney General Martha Coakley to determine how to implement Question 2, including whether a new mini-bureaucracy is necessary to oversee the doling out of citations to those caught with an ounce or less of pot..."

"Under the new law, pot is still illegal, but getting caught with up to an ounce of weed is only a civil infraction. The penalty isn't jail, but a $100 fine. And if the offender is under 18, a drug awareness course and parental notification are required..."

Full article available at http://news.bostonherald.com/news/politics/view/2008_11_06_Officials_hur...