The marijuana legalization movement’s biggest movers and shakers are already setting the groundwork to legalize recreational cannabis in Massachusetts in the 2016 election. But Massachusetts governor-elect Charlie Baker says he will “oppose that vigorously” when the time comes.
Massachusetts is already home to a fledgling medical marijuana system that has yet to open a single dispensary. The state also voted to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of pot.
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But will the northeastern state vote — as Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska and Washington D.C. have — to have legal recreational marijuana in its borders?
“I’m going to oppose that,” governor elect Baker told masslive.com, “and I’m going to oppose that vigorously … with a lot of help from a lot of other people in the addiction community.”
Baker also said be believes marijuana is a gateway drug, a “significant first step” toward more serious drugs. “There’s a ton of research out there at this point that says, especially for young people, it’s just plain bad.”
