Methuen Mayor William Manzi's proposal to increase the penalties for marijuana use in the city do not seem to violate either the letter or the spirit of the voter initiative that decriminalized possession of small amounts of the drug.
Manzi wants the City Council to pass a bylaw that would increase the penalty imposed on those caught smoking marijuana in public. Among the possible penalties are a fine of up to $300. Manzi said state guidelines say cities and towns can even impose criminal penalties for public marijuana usage.
The move has provoked quite a bit of criticism of the mayor. Other local communities have not deemed it necessary to increase the penalty beyond the $100 fine called for in the new state law. Why Methuen?
"We want to re-emphasize that our parks and playgrounds are both drug and alcohol free" Manzi said. "That's not a bad thing."
Manzi said he wants an increased fine for public usage of marijuana and is not interested in reinstituting criminal penalties.
Some people may be under the mistaken impression that the voter initiative legalized marijuana. It did not. It merely decriminalized possession of an ounce of less of the drug. It remains a civil violation of the law.
Possession and usage are two different matters. It is perfectly legal to walk down the street with a six-pack of beer. However, stopping to sit on a park bench and opening up a cold one will run afoul of the law.
But as we haven't heard reports of rampant public pot smoking in Methuen, we wonder whether this measure is truly necessary.
