January 2, 2009 Police chief refuses to enforce new marijuana laws Play video

(Katie Daly, NECN: Auburn, MA) - A new year, and a new law taking effect in Massachusetts today. Now people possessing an ounce or less of marijuana will no longer face jail time. Tonight the police chief in Auburn, says he's against the law, and will not be enforcing it.

The state's new law which decriminalizes small amounts of marijuana went into effect at noon time Friday. but some who enforce the law are not happy about it.

Auburn police chief Andrew Sluckis is a critic of the changes. He says the new law which makes possession of less than an ounce of marijuana a civil offense is too lenient.

Violators will now face a 100 dollar fine. Sluckis says that under the law there is not a way to make offenders pay the fine, so he wont make his department issue them.

Director of the Worcester county chapter of the ACLU, Ronald Madnick is a supporter of the law.

Madnick says that even if there are a few kinks in the law....the advantages out weigh the disadvantages.