The Brookline Voice 2/22/17

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Brookline VOL 2, NO 4

BROOKLINE’S VOICE

Feb. 22 - Mar. 7, 2017

Photo | NASA It is almost 100 years ago that JFK, right, was born and bred in Brookline. The town, with the aid of the National Park Service, is preparing for a springtime commemoration and celebration.

Brookline a sanctuary town Marijuana legal and welcome protecting illegal immigrants here as per new state law By Alexander Culafi

By Alexander Culafi

The Voice

The Voice

The Brookline Board of Selectman approved a statement on February 7 regarding the way Brookline treats immigrants in the community. “Brookline’s Board of Selectmen Strives to protect the safety and well-being of all Brookline residents and visitors, regardless of immigration status, by supporting the health, mental health, well-being, safe haven, and sanctuary of refugees and immigrants, whether documented or not,” the statement reads. The statement directs the town’s attorney to coordinate the town’s efforts with other communities, in order to develop legal strategies to “defend against any punitive measures undertaken by the Federal government against state and local governmental entities.” Perhaps more significantly, the statement calls for town resources to be available to anyone, regardless of their immigration status. The complete statement is available at: http://www.brooklinema.gov/ DocumentCenter/View/11105 That said, Brookline is not planning on stopping at just this statement.

“Without knowing precisely what it will be, the Commission will propose a policy for the Police Department that the Board will consider,” Selectman Bernard Greene said. “We’ll consult with Town Counsel and make whatever changes we think are appropriate, and vote on it as a policy of the Police Department with respect to how we deal with immigrant matters.” In a story by the Boston Globe on this issue, they pointed out a policy that could get in the way of making Brookline a sanctuary community. “In Brookline, the existing police policy allows officers to hold suspects for 48 hours on ICE detainers, a civil order that is not an arrest warrant issued by the judge, Brookline police Chief Daniel O’Leary has told selectmen,” the story from February 9 says. “If that person is being held solely on the detainer, and ICE doesn’t take custody, that person will be released, according to a copy of the policy provided to the Globe.” Although the statement doesn’t specifically refer to this policy, it does say that the Board of Selectmen has “initiated a review

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You won’t be able to go to a store in Brookline and buy marijuana for at least another year, even though we voted its recreational use legal last November. When asking Brookline businesses about it, however, there was not much of a definitive answer.

guy working there told me that he was utilizing that very allowance. Since then, the sign has changed slightly, only to refer to it as a “free gift,” failing to outright call it a marijuana joint. I should note that I did not take the shop up on its offer.

As you may know, a bill signed by Governor Charlie Baker late last year delayed the opening of marijuana shops from the beginning of 2018 until mid-2018. The governor is “committed to adhering to the will of the voters by implementing the new law as effectively and responsibly as possible,” says his spokeswoman Lizzy Guyton.

The list of things you can’t do is much longer. It’s illegal to use in public places, on school grounds, or in any place visible to the outside world basically. It can’t be brought across state lines. And of course, you can’t sell weed without a retail license. A commission, that has not been named yet, will be responsible for issuing retail licenses.

What is legal until that day are three key things if, and only if, you are 21 or older. One, you can legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana outside of your home. Two, you can possess up to ten ounces of pot inside your home. You can cultivate up to 6 marijuana plants if you live alone, or up to 12 per household if another adult lives there. And third, you can give one ounce of marijuana to another adult, but not for money.

That got old Alex curious. Where is Brookline at on weed? Is Brookline down with the ganja?

Speaking to that last one, I visited a smoke shop in Brighton near me a few weeks back because it had a sign that said something like, ‘free jay for orders $25 and up.’ The

I called some telephone numbers. Here’s what some people said. Obviously, we’re so early in the process that this information is all subject to change. An employee at the Brookline Chamber of Commerce, in response to the challenges a marijuana business might face:

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The Brookline Voice 2/22/17 by Jessica Rice - Issuu