The Demographics of the Citizen Panel

The 20-member citizen panel was selected from respondents to a mailer sent to 10,000 randomly-selected Massachusetts voters.  An objective, scientific method was employed to ensure the panel mirrored the demographics of the state’s electorate.  The panel included women and men from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds, Democrats, Republicans and unenrolled voters in the same proportions as the electorate as a whole. The panelists came from every congressional district in the state and both urban areas and small towns.  Some had a high school education, while others had graduate degrees. The senior panelist, at ninety-one, was seventy years older than the youngest.

The Experts and Campaign Representatives

Over their four days of deliberations, the citizen panelists heard from a number of experts and campaign representatives. Presentations and Q and A sessions are listed below in the order which they took place.

Day 1

Dennis Burke, Legislative Director and General Counsel for State Senator Jason Lewis, and Dan Smith, Legislative Director and General Counsel for State Senator Pat Jehlen, presented an overview of the current status of marijuana under state and federal law.

Jim Borghesani, Communications Director for Yes on 4, and Will Luzier, Campaign Manager for Yes on 4, presented Yes on 4’s opening statement.

Hannah Kane, State Representative and Steering Committee Member for the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts, and Kevin Sabet, President and CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, presented the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts’ opening statement.

Day 2

Experts Staci Gruber, Sean Kealy, and Richard McGowan  participated in a Q and A session with the citizen panelists.

Yes on 4 and the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts participated in a Q and A session with the citizen panelists. Jim Borghesani and Will Luzier represented Yes on 4. Hannah Kane and  Jason Lewis, State Senator and Steering Committee Member for the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts, represented the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts.

Experts Ashley Kilroy and Jeffrey Samet participated in a Q and A session with the citizen panelists.

Day 3

• Jim Borghesani presented the closing statement for Yes on 4.

• Jason Lewis presented the closing statement for the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts.

• Jim Borghesani, Will Luzier, representing Yes on 4, and Jason Lewis, representing the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts, participated in a Q and A session with the citizen panelists.