Boston News Today - MARTY WALSH ON WEED

With Boston Mayor Marty Walsh expected to lead the 2016 ballot initiative campaign against legalization in Mass, it’s as good a time as ever to look back at some past statements from the recovering alcoholic who has pushed to keep some city bars open later, all the while opposing cannabis reform.

“I heard somebody comparing marijuana to alcohol, they’re two different substances. If we want to outlaw alcohol, let’s do it. Look what I can tell you, marijuana is a gateway drug … The next step after marijuana potentially could be Oxycontin, heroin, and then the next step after that as we all know, jails, mental institutions, or death.” -March 2008

“It’s absolutely ridiculous … The ballot put zero teeth in the law so there’s no way to enforce [fines in the wake of decriminalization].” -July 2009

“The people standing behind us are in recovery and they are trying to make sure their life gets better. Mixed in with that group are some young people. They got started by smoking a joint, which means it was a gateway drug. They didn’t start by sticking a needle of heroin in their arm, they didn’t start by smoking crack, they started with a joint.” -October 2012

“I have family members that have passed away because of the use and abuse of drugs, and people start with marijuana. People start by smoking that innocent joint.” -October 2012

“I have concerns about it, the intent of the law when it was first passed. I think it passed under false pretense. I was never a big supporter of the [medical marijuana] law.” -January 2014

“Well, I’m dead set against legalizing marijuana. I was dead set against the marijuana dispensaries, and I was dead set against all the marijuana laws … I have made it very clear to the state that I don’t want these dispensaries in our city.” -April 2014

“I just think it’s a slippery slope. I’ve spent a lot of time in my career working on issues around substance abuse and marijuana is a gateway drug and I am very clear in my opposition to it.” -November 2014

“So because of racial disparities we legalize a drug that potentially could kill people, lead to death? I don’t think that’s a good enough reason to do it.” -May 2015

“There are also concerns about smoking, I mean people, we’re out there fighting the tobacco industry about reducing smoking and now all of a sudden we’re going to legalize marijuana. It’s another form of smoking.” -June 2015

“I drank plenty but I never smoked pot … I never have, which is amazing.” -June 2015