It’s time for a real debate about marijuana in the state of Massachusetts. After voters in numerous cities and counties across the state approved ballot questions Tuesday advising their legislators to push for more lenient marijuana possession penalties, the state is now prepared for an open and honest discussion about the merits and problems with the state’s marijuana policy. Though the electorate may not be ready to stomach full legalization of the drug, decriminalization at very least deserves a fair look in Massachusetts after the scattered voter initiatives.

The question many voters considered Tuesday asked state legislators to decriminalize possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. The change would keep possession of the drug illegal, but would reduce penalties to a mere $100 fine. The question passed 42 percent to 26 percent in 140 of Boston’s precincts, including several precincts serving Boston University students. According to a report by the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts and reported in The Boston Globe, the change to the criminal code would save the state more than $24 million.

The question’s proposed change to the criminal code is reasonable, making more casual users of the drug eligible for less stringent penalties. While people in possession of more than one ounce of marijuana are likely using it for more than themselves, but those with less than that amount are likely sharing it with a more limited group and should likewise be punished less punitively.

The state’s scattered marijuana questions will hopefully spark a state-wide debate about the merits of criminalizing marijuana use in the first place. Many experts consider marijuana significantly less harmful than most other drugs and the drug may even be less dangerous than a legal and widely used drug, alcohol. Though marijuana users may kill some of their own brain cells, the drug does not hold the same potential for danger to other members of society as do many other drugs. State law enforcement should focus on stopping the use of more serious drugs, instead of wasting time searching for and punishing chilled-out pot smokers.

The results of numerous questions asking for less stringent marijuana laws are a clear signal to the state legislature that it is time to open a wider discussion on the subject. Though the commonwealth’s citizens may not be ready for full-scale decriminalization, some liberalization is clearly worth a look.