The offices of Galvin and Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Cusack continued, “give advice and guidance on every other ballot initiative and policy, but when it comes to marijuana, suddenly everything requires a legislative fix. Suddenly, it’s, ‘we can’t help you, we have no guidance, and anything you do is illegal.’ “
Earlier this year, Galvin and Governor Charlie Baker proposed legislation they said would fix the issue. Galvin had also proposed a similar measure in the Mass. Senate last year when lawmakers were working on their rewrite of the marijuana legalization ballot initiative approved by voters.
But Cusack insisted that bill wasn’t merely a technical change, because it would allow local votes on social consumption annually, while the current law only allows such votes every two years during statewide elections. And, he said, no one from Galvin’s office has come to his office to explain why the fix is needed and help push it forward politically.
“Here we go again with a constitutional officer who spent the six months we were drafting this bill in Switzerland and now wants to come around and Monday-morning-quarterback it,” he said, referring rhetorically to that country’s historic neutrality.