Global Ganja Report

Speaking before a crowd on the Boston Common at the 23rd Boston Freedom Rally Sept. 15, US Rep. Barney Frank said using cannabis is an individual choice that should not be criminalized. Frank said he has "been fighting for some time for a measure that will reduce crime very substantially," and will actually "make money for the government." Frank told the crowd: "We can reduce the crime rate by stop treating people as criminals because they have made the decision to smoke marijuana personally."

In an interview with Boston University's Daily Free Press, Frank expressed his support for legalizing cannabis. "I don't think anybody should be treated as a criminal for it [smoking marijuana]," Frank said.

The Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition, or MassCann, organized the rally, partnering with the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML). "We are putting up a big push on voter registration this year," said MassCann's Bill Downing, noting that the medical marijuana measure Question 3 will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot. (Daily Free Press, Sept. 17)

Photo by Abigail Lin/Daily Free Press

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