Letter: Capuano failed to exploit pot reform issue

Opinion

Discussion

The Salem News has a real-name policy for commenting. Users may sign in using the Facebook Connect tool above the comments field. Once your first comment is posted by a moderator, all future comments will post automatically. If you prefer not to use Facebook, send an e-mail with your comments user name (which must be the same as your real name), city or town, street address and daytime phone number to comments@salemnews.com. A staff member will contact you directly to confirm your identity. It may take a day or two before you can post comments. Only your user name will be public. All users are required to follow our rules for commenting, which can be found here.

comments powered by Disqus

February 9, 2010

Anonymous The Salem News Tue Feb 09, 2010, 05:30 AM EST

To the editor:

Since Jan. 20, letter writers and pundits have written analyzing why Scott Brown, a Republican, won the Senate seat in Massachusetts.

I went with my conscience and voted for independent Joe Kennedy, the true peace-and-prosperity candidate. Nonetheless, I offer my thoughts on why a Republican won in this state where 37 percent of the voters are registered Democrats, 13 percent Republicans, and the rest independents.

The blame goes to Mike Capuano, the congressman from Somerville and a co-sponsor of a federal marijuana decriminalization bill, who lost to "Reefer Mad" Martha Coakley in the Democratic primary.

Coakley must have known of his sponsorship of federal marijuana law reform. She led the opposition to Question 2 in 2008. Her side lost in a landslide.

In this latest election cycle, Coakley did the safe and prudent thing by not raising the "marijuana question." Capuano miscalculated by not challenging her on it.

Had he won the primary, Capuano could have used the same club to dispel perceptions of Scott Brown as a populist by pointing out that he, too, opposed Question 2 and filed legislation to gut it, though in his election to the state Senate in 2008, almost 8,700 more people in his district voted for Question 2 than voted for him.

I believe Capuano didn't raise the marijuana question because he and his advisers didn't think of it as a wedge issue. Years of public silence on the marijuana question deafened him to the voice of the voters expressed in the privacy of the voting booth on Question 2.

As we enter the 2010 election cycle politicians should keep his mistake in mind.

Steven S. Epstein Esq.

Georgetown

(Editor's note: Steven Epstein is founder of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition. Question 2, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, was approved by a large majority statewide in 2008.)

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Opinion

Search Results

Discussion

Letter: Capuano failed to exploit pot reform issue

Site Map

Reader Access