Andrew Metcalf
Boston Globe

THE BOSTON Globe has missed the view of much of its readership and misunderstood the argument of the ballot question in its Oct. 21 editorial "No on Question 2."

The goal is to decriminalize an ounce of marijuana to prevent unnecessary police work and stop injustice to law-abiding Massachusetts residents

. It is not an attempt to fix the Criminal Offender Record Information system, only a means of protecting nonviolent, taxpaying marijuana users from legal harm.

An arrest for possession of under an ounce of marijuana is embarrassing and time consuming. Judicial proceedings can take years to settle a case that revolves around small amounts of marijuana. This wastes taxpayers' money.

It is time for Massachusetts to look to reason rather than puritanical misconceptions.

We are a state on the forefront of liberating social policies. As the state looks forward, the Globe continues to look backward.

Andrew Metcalf
Allston