It is truly an "us against them" scenario and I can assure you, law enforcement has taken this new law as a personal slap in the face. It's unfortunate they can't see past their pistol clips on this. They are now discussing ways, between themselves, to exploit loopholes in this law, to justify putting you in jail until your docket is up and then let the "system" deal with you to determine whether or not you violated any other penal codes. They are talking about punishing the "state of Massachusetts" by overloading the "system" with these "violators" with hopes that if the court system is all tied up, the new law can be amended or even REVERSED!
Also, there was discussion about all the potheads at the polling stations. One officer mentioned you could easily identify the people voting this new law in by their just got out of bed hair. Their inference that all people who smoke pot are worthless, lazy, and weak-minded is disgusting and just a bad call altogether, and I surely hope they realize that their words on these forums aren't stealth and can come back to bite them - legally speaking.
I know that most police officers feel that when they put on a badge they are "serving and protecting" - and rightly, that's what they are supposed to do - they took the damn job and now they feel citizens owe them. We owe them in the sense that when we work, our taxes pay their salaries. Then they bitch and complain they don't get paid enough for what they do for "us". I say, if you don't like your job, QUIT - find something else - quit blaming society for your poor attitude on politics of the day. If you don't like policy, go about fighting it in a civil manner like the rest of society has to. VOTE, and contact your Congress persons.
But I would STRONGLY suggest you think twice about taking it upon yourselves to mold and shape state law as you see fit. YOU are not above OUR laws. Don't think for a second you ever were because you took that job. You are a civil servant and when you perform your duties outlined by the state that pays your check, you are an officer of the law and we can respect you for that - but you are nothing more. When you spout your iron fist attitude against the people that pay your salaries, the people that pay your salaries start to resent you. And you officers wonder where the regard for police officers is going....