Terry Franklin: Critical of House ‘repeal and replacement’ of Question 4

Critical of Question 4 ‘repeal and replacement’

Last fall, immediately after voters passed Question 4 legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts, politicians started talking about making changes. “A few tweaks,” they said.

But now the Massachusetts House of Representatives, led by Speaker Robert DeLeo, has passed a total “repeal and replacement” of Question 4 (“House OKs bill to redo marijuana law,” June 22). To drive the knife in even deeper, they repealed the voter approved Medical Marijuana Act of 2012 as well.

The new bill concentrates all control in the hands of a clique of power brokers. This has one purpose, and one purpose only: to restrict competition for the benefit of a select group of business interests. Assurances to the contrary have been given, but they add up to nonbinding political promises.

This is crony capitalism at its worst. Not everyone is interested in pot, but we should all be concerned about such blatant corruption in our state.

Terry Franklin

Amherst

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