BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts voters have overwhelmingly approved a move to legalize medical marijuana, but questions remain over how distribution will be regulated and whether the state can stop abuses.
The law approved through Question 3 on Tuesday's election ballot eliminates penalties for the use of marijuana by people with cancer, Parkinson's Disease, AIDS and other conditions determined by a doctor. It will allow nonprofit treatment centers to grow and provide marijuana to patients or their caregivers.
Opponents say they are concerned that the state Department of Public Health, which is supposed to regulate the treatment centers, will not be able to prevent abuses. The department has been criticized in recent months for a lack of oversight at a drug-testing lab that was shut down after a chemist allegedly acknowledged mishandling evidence and faking test results.
