The state’s first recreational pot shops opened a year ago. Here’s what the owners have learned. November 20, 2019 AggregatedNews Massachusetts 0 Comments “It’s been a year, but it feels like three.” The lines started to form in the dark, predawn hours. Shuttles ferried customers from satellite parking lots and snacks were passed around as hundreds huddled under umbrellas in anticipation of… Read More→
Massachusetts Legalization Campaign Has Racked in $2 Million More Than Opposition in 2016 As Vote Approaches September 12, 2016 AggregatedNews Massachusetts 0 Comments The campaign pushing to legalize marijuana and establish a new pot retail system in Massachusetts has raised $2.4 million in 2016, with $2.1 million coming from one source, a D.C.-based cannabis reform advocacy group. The opposition campaign, which has the support of… Read More→
One Massachusetts View on Cannabis: “I’m not Sure … We Want to Become Colorado” May 9, 2016 AggregatedNews Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments Everyone attuned to state politics has heard the same cry for months: The ballot question legalizing marijuana is nearly certain to pass. The politicians leading a fight against it are wasting their breath. Not so fast. A new Suffolk University/Boston… Read More→
Last Word: What Do You Say to a Hypocritic, Anti-Marijuana Politician? April 18, 2016 John Hollon Massachusetts, Op-Ed, Opinions 0 Comments Will someone stand up and say something to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh? According to the Boston Herald, Walsh recently responded to "criticism from a pro-marijuana legalization group that called him a “hypocrite” for opposing pot legalization while supporting measures they say… Read More→
Massachusetts Governor Helping Raise Funds to Block Marijuana Legalization April 15, 2016 AggregatedNews Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is helping to raise money for a campaign against marijuana legalization. Baker's political committee blasted out an email to supporters on Thursday, featuring the governor asking them to support the ballot committee called the Campaign for… Read More→
Massachusetts Lawmakers Are Wary of Legal Marijuana March 8, 2016 AggregatedNews Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments A scathing Senate report to be released Tuesday says that if residents legalize recreational marijuana in Massachusetts this fall, the state should promptly temper their vote by outlawing home cultivation, imposing a significant tax on the drug, and prohibiting some… Read More→
Massachusetts Lawmakers Gearing Up For Voters to Approve Recreational Cannabis January 4, 2016 AggregatedNews Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments Massachusetts voters are expected to spark up a new legalized recreational marijuana industry this year, and state lawmakers are preparing for a regulation process that could be anything but mellow. The backers of a November ballot question want to regulate… Read More→
The Push For Legalization in Massachusetts Just Got a Little Bit Clearer December 3, 2015 AggregatedNews Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments A possible 2016 decision about marijuana legalization in Massachusetts got less complicated this week. Massachusetts voters had faced the prospect of answering two separate pro-legalization ballot questions next November. But only one group believes its question is still standing.\ The… Read More→
Recreational Proponents Submit Signatures for Massachusetts Ballot Measure December 2, 2015 AggregatedNews Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments BOSTON — Proponents of legalizing recreational marijuana in Massachusetts said they submitted more than enough signatures Tuesday to the secretary of state's office to keep alive their hopes of putting the proposal before voters next year. The Campaign to Regulate… Read More→
Massachusetts High Court Bans Police Stops Solely for Suspected Marijuana September 23, 2015 AggregatedNews Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments In a decision hailed by civil rights advocates and supporters of marijuana legalization, the state’s highest court ruled Tuesday that police cannot stop motorists solely because they suspect the vehicle’s occupants are in possession of the drug. The Supreme Judicial… Read More→
Elizabeth Warren Says She’s “Open” to Massachusetts Voters Deciding on Legalizing Marijuana September 3, 2015 AggregatedNews Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments BOSTON — U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Wednesday did little to dampen speculation about what a recent meeting with Vice President Joe Biden might mean for her role in the 2016 presidential election. The state's most high-profile Democrat also left… Read More→
Boston Mayor May Lead Anti-Marijuana Efforts in Massachusetts June 1, 2015 John Hollon Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments With a major battle in the making over marijuana legalization next year, Mayor Martin J. Walsh, a recovering alcoholic and a passionate advocate for those struggling with drug addiction, is emerging as the most likely face of the opposition. Walsh… Read More→
Delays Driving Away Investors For Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Firms April 8, 2015 John Hollon Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments Months of controversy and bureaucratic delays in the Massachusetts medical marijuana program have driven away some investors, stranding several of the companies awarded the first dispensary licenses and leaving them short on cash. The uncertainty and mounting costs have pushed… Read More→
Oregon’s Marijuana Chief Gets Fired Just Months Before Legalization Kick In March 27, 2015 John Hollon Oregon, Policy & Legal 0 Comments Tom Burns, director of marijuana programs for the Oregon Liquor Control Commission, was fired Thursday. Burns, who oversaw the implementation of the state's medical marijuana dispensary program and has been instrumental in launching efforts to establish a recreational market, confirmed… Read More→
Massachusetts Attorney General Says She Opposes Full Legalization of Marijuana March 24, 2015 John Hollon Massachusetts, Policy & Legal 0 Comments BOSTON - Attorney General Maura Healey detailed her opposition to legalizing marijuana on Monday while distinguishing that stance from her prior support for a voter referendum that decriminalized possession of up to one ounce of the drug. "I supported the effort to… Read More→