New Westford, MA law.

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WESTFORD -- Massachusetts voters two years ago approved a law that decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, but that law never addressed consumption of the substance.
Special Town Meeting last night took the extra step, approving a new bylaw in Westford that regulates the public use and consumption of marijuana.
According to the new bylaw, approved by voice vote by a majority of the more than 200 residents in attendance, "No person shall burn, smoke, ingest, or otherwise use or consume marijuana ... while in or upon any area owned by or under control of the Town."
Penalties include:
n A $300 fine for each offense.
n An offender under the age of 18 shall be subject to forfeiture and a $100 fine, \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t \t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\tprovided he or she also completes a drug-awareness program.
n The parents or legal guardian of any offender under the age of 18 shall be notified of the offense and informed of the drug-awareness program and community-service requirements.
n If an offender under the age of 18 fails within one year of the offense to complete both a drug-awareness program and the required community service, the $100 fine for violation of the bylaw may be increased to $300, and the offender and his or her parents shall be liable to pay that amount.
n A fine of $300 shall also be imposed for offenders under the age of 18 for each subsequent offense of the bylaw.
Police Chief Thomas McEnaney said consumption of less than an ounce of pot \t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t
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\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\tis a civil offense while consumption of more than an ounce is a criminal violation. He told Town Meeting that an ounce of marijuana yields about 36 to 56 joints, depending on the size of the cigarette.
McEnaney said the bylaw was designed to address legislative oversight with regards to consumption.
He said that under state law, "if someone is smoking marijuana on school property and we ask for ID, they can refuse."
"All they have to do is stop smoking. There's nothing \t\t\t \t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\telse we can do," he added.
The new bylaw requires anyone found in violation to state their name and address when requested to do so by a police officer. Otherwise, McEnaney said, the person could be arrested.
McEnaney said 120 people have been cited in Westford for possession of more than an ounce of marijuana since the state law took effect Jan. 1, 2009. Of those 120 people, 45 have not paid the fines issued by the Police Department, and 40 of those 45 are nonresidents.
"They're just walking away from it," McEnaney said.
Many of those who are violating the state law and not paying are adults, he added.
Some residents thought the $300 fines were too lenient, suggesting a $1,000 fine per violation in school zones, but Town Counsel John Giorgio of Kopelman and Paige said state law allows for a maximum fine of $300 per violation.
Other residents, meanwhile, suggested a $100 fine per violation for those under the age of 18, but that motion was defeated.
Some residents thought the bylaw was too punitive.
"This bylaw would give police an excuse to arrest somebody simply for not providing identification," said Robert Creegan of MacQuarrie Lane. "It is a huge infringement on a person's civil liberties. The bylaw is a mammoth overreach."
Generating the most discussion by far last night was the bylaw's prohibition of marijuana consumption on school grounds.
"It feels like double jeopardy if a student is caught smoking on school \t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t \t\t\tgrounds," said Karen Creegan, who proposed the $100 fine per violation.
Superintendent of Schools Everett "Bill" Olsen outlined the School Department's policy on marijuana possession and consumption, with possible punishments ranging from suspension to exclusion. Under the latter, the student would be removed from school for the remainder of the year, but would be allowed to attend Middlesex Community College to get college credits and allowed to graduate, but prevented from attending the graduation ceremony or any related activities.
"It is severe, but I will tell you unequivocally that my job is to maintain a safe environment, and that is not maintained with consumption on school property," Olsen said, drawing applause from residents.
School Committee member David Keele, who is also an attorney, said, "Unfortunately, I often appear in courtrooms with those who are under the age of 18. Any adult who (consumes marijuana) in front of children is a knucklehead and we should whack them.
"That said," he added, "we should teach our children not to smoke. Don't take away from the equation the common sense of the police chief, deputy chief and the police officers, many of whom grew up here. They are here to help kids, not punish them, especially with first-time offenders."
And with that, voters approved the bylaw, capping the lengthy discussion.
All other articles passed, except articles 2, 10 and 22, which were withdrawn. \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t


Read more: Westford Town Meeting cracks down on marijuana consumption - Lowell Sun Online"




So I guess now its illegal to smoke weed anywhere in my town anymore? I really dont understand how this makes the law different since it was still illegal to smoke weed in my town before the law was made.
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my towns a bunch of oldtimers though. They didnt allow mcdonalds or bk to have drivethroughs and when wallmart wanted to build here they told them no because it would attract to many people. There isint even a liquor store here.