The Mayor of Holyoke has endorsed a Massachusetts ballot question legalizing marijuana, apparently becoming the first mayor in the state to do so.
Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse announced Monday he plans to vote “yes” on question 4 on the November election ballot to legalize recreational marijuana use by adults.
Morse, who is a Democrat, said decades of efforts to limit the availability of marijuana had resulted only in the disproportionate arrests of minorities.
" In Massachusetts alone, communities of color are four times likely to get arrested for marijuana than their white counterparts," Morse said in an interview Monday.
Morse’s position puts him at odds with the state’s top elected officials including Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey who both say they strongly oppose legalizing marijuana.
