Do People Caught with Pot Pay Their Civil Citations?

A common criticism from those opposed to decriminalization of marijuana in Massachusetts is that the law, passed comfortably as a ballot initiative in 2008, is toothless.

Which is to say, there's not a lot that law enforcement can do to make the doobs abide.

Under Mass General Law chapter 94c, section 32L, possession of one ounce of marijuana is decriminalized and punishable only as a civil offense. For offenders age 18 and older, that means a $100 fine and turning over their stash. And for those under 18, the penalty also includes completion of a drug awareness program and parental notification.

Where many critics take exception with the law is in its failure to require the civilly cited to correctly identify themselves and to provide a way to enforce payment of the levied fine. This runs counter to most other civil citations, like minor traffic violations, where stiffer secondary penalties compel people to pay up.

With that being said, Is payment of civil citations for pot possession a problem in Lexington? Not so much, according to officials.

Over the 13-month period from Feb. 1, 2012 through the end of last month, Lexington Police handed out 53 civil citations for marijuana possession. And of those, 39 have paid their $100 fine, according to numbers provided by the Town Clerk’s Office.