Approval of the measures comes as the U.S. Supreme Court indicated it will hear the federal government's efforts to block state laws allowing ill patients to use marijuana for pain relief. Sponsors of the questions say they prove support for weakening of marijuana laws extends beyond traditional liberal enclaves such as Cambridge and Amherst. One proposal would decriminalize possession of an ounce or less of pot by making it a civil infraction punishable by a fine. Another would give a boost to the state's 1996 medical marijuana law by allowing people to grow their own. The 1996 law, which allows people with certain illnesses to use marijuana, is on hold because people would have to register with a state Department of Health research project.
Federal law prohibits such projects.
If they are unsuccessful in the Legislature, activists are preparing to take their proposal to the ballot box in 2002, St. Pierre said. Both bills face an uphill fight. Voters in Rep. Bradford R. Hill's traditionally conservative Ipswich district soundly approved a nonbinding referendum calling on Hill to support legislation making possession of marijuana a civil violation like a traffic ticket. Hill, a Republican, isn't ready to take that step. He said he was baffled by the vote and will hold hearings in his district to gauge public opinion.