"This legislative body is proposing to take a substance that is proven to be unhealthy and dangerous and illegal -- schedule one drug, still so at the federal level -- putting us in direct contrast. And slap the hand of one who uses it just like another parking ticket," Boucher said. "This is just a minor step in a long progression," she added, calling marijuana a gateway drug.

The above scree would be more accurate if the drug alcohol were the topic instead of marijuana.

Q. "And slap the hand of one who uses it just like another parking ticket,"?
A. No you idiot! Just like you would for the irresponsible use of the drug alcohol... not a parking ticket. When you are ready to address your drug habit with alcohol I'll consider letting idiots like you talk to me about my safer drug of choice. Until then ignorant exceptianist authorian assholes like bouchers should shut the fuck-up before someone shoves her head permanently up her ass.

The herbal curative gets maligned by unspecified parties in Boucher's rant against reason. A dozen states doctors and patients engaged in marijuana therapy and she is simply on another

page. Ms Boucher needs some cold water in the face. Marijuana is good medicine, not to be waylaid by her disparagement. Her ditch resort to filibuster indicates her awareness of lacking

credence or support in her minority fight.

This legislative body is proposing to take a substance that is proven to be unhealthy and dangerous and illegal -- schedule one drug, still so at the federal level -- putting us in direct contrast.

I didn't see the part where the Senate proposed to take marijuana. I thought that they were only discussing decriminalizing it.

There is no truth in the statement that marijuana is unhealthy and dangerous. It is illegal. That's what the Senate was considering changing.

Conn. voted to legalize medical marijuana a few years back BUT the peoples will was vetoed. Recreational use of Marijuana is a lot safer than booze, yet people are still fooled by the "facts" the government made up years ago during reefer madness. The fear of this "drug" even limits the industrial use of the plant. People die in SWAT raids, not from pot. Time to legalize...

She is-and always will be--an a--!!!!

It sounds like Boucher is a little manic if you ask me.

Well I hope the republican party loses more votes over this.

I lived in Massachusetts the last four years at college. I was there before we decriminalized and just after. Nothing changed for UMass students, we smoked pot before and continued to smoke pot after, we just didn't have the fear of getting arrested afterwords. The state sees the most of the benefits of decriminalization since they don't need to spend as much on combating something that will always be a losing battle. In fact now with a civil fine, they will generate money if they enforce it instead of losing money. Isn't this during a recession a win win situation?

The biggest problem with marijuana laws is that are based on false findings and biased opinions that were forged by self interested parties years ago like Dupont, whom didn't want competition from hemp production, affecting the use of their chemicals to make paper from trees for example. Hemp and marijuana have proven useful for civilization for centuries in industry and as medicine. The plant is not useless and the stigma around it is propagated by self interest. The best thing would be for the federal government to regulate hemp and marijuana production and distribution appropriately so the plant can be utilized for the greater good. It is completely ignorant policy to continue to prosecute and punish citizens for marijuana use. Many countries around the world utilize the plant in industry, for medicine and yes for recreational use. The war on drugs is a failure and it is time to stop making non-violent users, etc. criminals. I really hope that the state and the Feds put an end to this nonsense.