Tag: The Boston Globe

4/23/20--A record-shattering number of Massachusetts residents obtained medical marijuana cards over the past month, a spike that followed Governor Charlie Baker’s decision to deem recreational cannabis stores “nonessential” and close them amid the coronavirus pandemic. Read

3/31/20--Despite pleas from leaders in the cannabis industry to reopen adult-use marijuana stores, Governor Charlie Baker defended his choice Tuesday to keep them closed, even while deeming medical dispensaries “essential" and allowing them to remain open. Read

3/24/20--Over the past week, more than a dozen states have agreed that while “nonessential” stores had to close; however, pot shops and medical marijuana dispensaries could remain open — official recognition that for some Americans, cannabis is as necessary as milk and bread. Read

3/3/20--The maps and tables presented by The Boston Globe are based on data from the Cannabis Control Commission, show where prospective retail operators hope to set up shop to sell recreational marijuana for consumers, as well as the stores that have already opened. Read

3/4/20--Mayor Martin J. Walsh appointed five members to the board, which will issue recommendations on which marijuana companies should receive local licenses and advise Walsh’s office on cannabis regulation and policy. Its creation follows criticism that Boston’s previous process for choosing pot operators has been slow and opaque, giving an advantage to better-connected and wealthier firms. Read

3/3/20--The first legal sales of marijuana in Maine are expected in June as the state and municipalities work on issuing licenses. The process can be time consuming. The state Office of Marijuana Policy said it has received nearly 200 applications and deemed 80 of them complete enough for a regulatory review. Read

1/20/20--More than 2 million people with heart disease in the United States have used or are using marijuana, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found in a new study that called for more research about the drug’s potential cardiovascular risks. Although the researchers did not conclude that marijuana causes heart disease, “observational studies have linked marijuana use to a range of cardiovascular risks, including stroke, arrhythmia and diseases that make it hard for the heart muscle to pump properly,” the hospital in a statement. Read

12/11/19--Although Canada’s pot industry is having a rough year, retailers looking to cash in on the newly legalized commodity has not diminished. The total number of retail cannabis stores rose to 407 in July, an increase of 88 percent in the past four months, Statistics Canada said Wednesday in Ottawa. Read

12/5/19--Six Massachusetts patients with probable — but not confirmed — cases of vaping-related lung illnesses reported using regulated products from state-licensed marijuana companies, state health officials revealed Thursday night. The patients represent a small fraction of the 90 probable and confirmed cases of vaping-related lung illnesses flagged so far by the state Department of Public Health, but mark the first time state authorities have explicitly linked the lung illnesses to cannabis vapes purchased at legal stores and dispensaries. Read

11/1/19--Governor Charlie Baker announced an emergency statewide ban on the sale of all vaping products Sept. 24, contending the broad policy was needed to protect public health amid an outbreak of vaping-related lung illnesses. However, medical marijuana patients say they’re suffering after losing access to the quick symptom relief provided by vapes sold at licensed marijuana stores and dispensaries. Read

10/17/19--Curaleaf, one of the country’s biggest marijuana companies, received its final approval from Massachusetts cannabis regulators Thursday to open its first recreational marijuana store in the state. The Cannabis Control Commission issued Curaleaf Massachusetts Inc. its “commence operations” notice Thursday, giving it approval to begin adult-use sales at its Oxford store after three calendar days — as early as Monday. Read

9/16/19--Fewer Massachusetts high school students used marijuana in the years before the state’s first marijuana stores opened last year, according to a new report. However, it’s too early to know whether these trends have changed since legalization. But officials said the report, by the state Cannabis Control Commission, establishes a baseline for future study. Read

7/9/19--Bruce Linton, former co-chief executive officer of Canopy Growth Corp., is already working at another firm, and plans to spend more time at tiny software-services company Martello Technologies Group Inc. Linton may also be exploring some of the US opportunities, according to Greg Taylor, chief investment officer at Purpose Investments Inc. and manager of the $38 million Canadian ($29 million) Purpose Marijuana Opportunities Fund, which holds Canopy stock. Read

7/11/19--Despite the fact that CBD is everywhere, it still exists partly in a legal gray area. Some states are cracking down on sales of CBD products, while others are allowing CBD to be sold widely under certain conditions. The almost-unprecedented scale of the business potential in the CBD market is what’s causing the rush. Sales of products infused with hemp-derived CBD are expected to reach $5 billion this year, according to recent industry estimates. That represents a 700 percent increase from last year. Read

7/8/19--Legalizing marijuana is associated with a decline in youth cannabis consumption, according to a new study in a journal published by the American Medical Association. The research, which analyzed federal data on marijuana use trends among 1.4 million high school students from 1993 to 2017, showed that self-reported past-month youth cannabis use declined by an average of 8 percent in states that legalized recreational marijuana. Read

7/9/19--The 11 states with legal recreational pot are grappling with how to handle public and social consumption. In Massachusetts, regulators are moving cautiously on pot cafes after health and law enforcement officials in Governor Charlie Baker’s administration mounted opposition last year over concerns about increased cannabis consumption and stoned driving. Read

5/12/19--As American cities, including Boston, debate whether to allow injection sites — clean rooms where people use illicit drugs, watched by trained staffers who can rescue them from overdoses — Vancouver is often held up as an example by both sides of the argument. According to an observation outlined in an article by Boston Globe staff writer Felice J. Freyer, the safe-injection site doesn’t cause the street drug use that surrounds it. But it doesn’t eliminate the problem, either. Read

3/21/19--Massachusetts is not the only state struggling to limit the dominance of large marijuana companies. Maryland bars companies from owning more than one store. In December, the Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission expressed concern about a “proliferation” of management agreements, saying it had objected to at least a half-dozen that appeared to skirt state regulations. But the commission announced in January it will wait for guidance from the state’s Legislature before taking further action. Read

2/25/19--President Trump immediately rebuked then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions on the day that he rescinded Justice Department guidance on federal marijuana enforcement priorities, Senator Cory Gardner revealed. According to Gardner, there was an obvious disagreement between the president and the attorney general on this issue. Apparently, this isn’t something Trump supports, but it was too late to reverse the decision. Read

1/31/19--The Boston Globe presents some of the most interesting marijuana legislation filed this year that may have been missed. These are just a small handful of the more than 500 marijuana-related bills that have already been filed for 2019 legislative sessions that in most cases began less than a month ago. Read

1/22/19--Currently, there is not enough evidence to support whether or not heavy use of marijuana causes schizophrenia or other syndromes. Even top scientists who specialize in marijuana research are divided, drawing opposite conclusions from the same data. The debate centers on the distinction between correlation and causation. People with psychotic problems often use marijuana regularly; this is a solid correlation, but it is unclear which came first, the marijuana habit or the psychoses. Read

1/14/19--New England Treatment Access, one of the state’s early medical marijuana operators and the first to sell recreational pot in Massachusetts, has agreed to be acquired by Atlanta-based Surterra Wellness. This acquisition is one of the largest to date in the US marijuana industry. The deal, which is subject to approval by the state Cannabis Control Commission, comes amid a wave of consolidation in the Massachusetts marijuana industry. Read

10/19/18--As a featured speaker at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition in Boston, Bill Weld, former US attorney and governor of Massachusetts, appeared to be a hype man for Acreage Holdings. Weld actually supported marijuana for medical use as governor in the early 1990s, long before that policy had the widespread support of Americans. He also strongly endorsed the STATES Act, a bill that would repeal the federal prohibition of marijuana and allow states to set their own policies on the drug. Read

10/6/18--Maine says the number of young children accidentally ingesting marijuana has risen from 2 in 2016 to 16 in 2017, citing figures provided by the Northern New England Poison Center. The Maine Department of Health and Human Services says accidental marijuana ingestion often occurs when marijuana is combined with food to create ‘‘edible’’ candy, brownies, and other baked goods. The state says doing so may entice children to eat them without knowing they contain the drug. Read

9/26/18--Mayor Martin J. Walsh and some members of the Boston City Council are unhappy with leaders of the annual, marijuana-themed “Freedom Rally” held on Boston Common earlier this month, with Walsh saying the three-day event left an “appalling” mess. Representatives of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition acknowledged that several vendors had failed to clean up, as required. Read

9/11/18--Massachusetts Grower Advocacy Council, an organization representing Massachusetts marijuana growers, is considering a lawsuit to compel the Cannabis Control Commission to review the statutorily required agreements between marijuana businesses and their host towns, something the CCC has resisted doing under the impression it does not have the authority to do so. Read

9/7/18--Federal agents investigating Northern Herb, an alleged unlicensed marijuana delivery business, found “substantial” quantities of the drug and cash last month when they raided a residence in Milton and a warehouse in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Boston, according to recent court filings. Read

8/21/18--Mandated laboratory testing would ensure that cannabis products sold in regulated stores are free of pesticides, mold, and other contaminants. Yet, a bitter scientific and business feud has split into two camps the state’s four marijuana testing labs, which currently serve medical dispensaries and will soon join the lucrative recreational market. The state Department of Public Health, which oversees medical marijuana, has declined to referee the dispute or update its testing regime, despite warnings from the labs that a lack of standards and holes in protocols are undermining confidence in the system. Read

8/10/18--A new public awareness campaign is adopting a gentler, non-judgmental tone as officials work to educate Massachusetts residents on the state’s cannabis laws and to decrease youth use rates. The campaign, dubbed “More About Marijuana,” was unveiled Thursday by the state Cannabis Control Commission and Department of Public Health, and includes two 30-second animated videos and a website. Read

8/9/18--State public safety officials are viewing stoned driving as a major problem. They may be doing their best to head it off, but without changes in the law, their best won’t be good enough. With medical marijuana already on the scene and the first recreational pot shops being licensed, the case for keeping drugged drivers from getting behind the wheel has grown more urgent. Read

3/17/18--Marijuana companies will be banned from a majority of cities and towns in Massachusetts when recreational sales begin this summer, the latest indication that there will be fewer pot stores in the early going than many consumers expected. At least 189 of the state’s 351 municipalities have barred retail marijuana stores and, in most cases, cultivation facilities and other cannabis operations, too. Read

1/20/18--Two state representatives, Dave Rogers and Mike Connolly, want to turn Massachusetts into a sanctuary state for marijuana, filing legislation that would prohibit state and local police from participating in federal cases against people or licensed operators who follow state cannabis laws. Read

11/21/17--The Cannabis Control Commission is pushing to write a first draft of new rules permitting the legal sale of marijuana in Massachusetts by the end of the year. Among numerous details, the commission plans to spell out the criteria for winning dispensary licenses, rules for marijuana consumption bars, and a plan for ensuring diversity in the industry. Read

11/16/17--Juuling, a discreet form of vamping, is a widespread phenomenon. In some high schools, the “Juuling in the bathroom” problem has gotten so intense that administrators are sending home e-mails warning parents about the dangers of e-cigarettes in general — and, in particular, about a brand called Juul, which makes sleek devices that are easily concealed and often mistaken for thumb drives. Read

10/24/17--After a yearlong delay, Governor Charlie Baker’s administration said it will move forward with a series of improvements to the state’s medical marijuana program, drawing praise from dispensaries and patients who said the changes are overdue. The new rules are meant to ease the regulatory burden on dispensaries and make it easier for patients to get access to medical marijuana. Read

10/27/17--John Jones and Alexandra Tuccy, owners of Maine Greenyards, are savvy young ganjapreneurs who want to turn their bed and breakfast (referred to in the article as a "bud and breakfast") into a cannabis winery. They envision guests touring the property to see how marijuana is grown, learning about different varieties, and sampling. They bought the property, located on 16 acres, last December, just after Maine passed a law legalizing marijuana. They were inspired by the booming pot tourism market in Colorado. Read

9/17/17--Weedmaps, one of the country’s larger and more established marijuana firms selling software to licensed cannabis operators, is finalizing a lease for a downtown Boston office to accommodate its sales and lobbying team. Its executives want to be in close to the rollout of new rules for the nascent industry in Massachusetts and have the firm well-established locally by the time dispensaries open up next summer. Weedmaps also just became the first marijuana-related company to join the Boston Chamber of Commerce. Read

9/16/17--Thousands crowded Boston Common Saturday at the Boston Freedom Rally to celebrate the legal use of marijuana. The annual gathering began in 1989, but this year’s event marked the first since Massachusetts voters legalized marijuana last November with about 54 percent of the electorate in support. Read

8/25/17--Dale Quigley, deputy coordinator of the National Marijuana Initiative, or NMI, has asked Massachusetts health officials for data on the age, gender, and medical condition of the state’s approximately 40,000 registered medical marijuana patients. Quigley is a former police officer in Colorado with a long history of speaking out against legalization. Read

8/16/17--Marijuana entrepreneurs working with edibles seem to have no trouble dreaming up creative treats and concoctions infused with psychoactive THC. However, being innovative is necessary since they must adhere to extensive health and safety regulations. Despite mandated regulations, politicians and public health officials have voiced sharp concerns about weed-infused edibles. They worry about their appeal to children and the perils of overconsumption. Read

7/17/17--The Massachusetts Legislature is expected to approve a broad overhaul of the voter-approved marijuana legalization law this week after House and Senate negotiators agreed on a bill that would hike marijuana taxes and change how communities can ban local pot shops. Read

7/16/17--The Boston startup 908 Devices has unveiled a new sensor intended to give it a foothold in a less conventional but fast-growing industry of commercial marijuana. The sensor, dubbed the G908, is a countertop “push-button” mass spectrometer designed to identify cannabis compounds. Its designers say the device approaches the accuracy of traditional “gold standard” lab equipment but is far smaller, faster, cheaper, and easier to use. Read

7/12/17--A marijuana billboard owned by Clear Channel featuring an advertisement placed by Weedmaps, an online marijuana dispensary rating service that also sells inventory software to pot shops, has been deemed insensitive as a result of being placed in a neighborhood hard hit by opioid abuse. Furthermore, the message violates Clear Channel's own policy regarding “exclusionary zones.’’ Read

6/26/17--Senator Ed Markey issued a fiery statement Monday demanding an apology from White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, after she stated that people suffering from drug addiction need “a four-letter word called ‘will’ ’’ in an interview about health care’s role in stemming the ongoing opioid crisis. Markey, in a statement, said Conway’s words are a “death sentence’’ for those suffering from opioid addiction. Read

6/22/17--The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill Thursday making targeted adjustments to the voter-mandated marijuana legalization law, but differing starkly from a more extensive replacement measure approved by the House just a day earlier. Senators voted 30-5 in favor of their version. Legislative leaders have vowed to send a bill to Governor Charlie Baker by next Friday to allow retail shops to open by July 2018. Read

6/22/17--House legislators have decided they must jump in and completely rewrite the law voters passed by ballot in November. Representative Mark Cusack, House chairman of the Marijuana Policy Committee, outlined his legislation rewriting the ballot law. Those who actually worked to get marijuana legalized were outside the State House this week protesting against the House bill. Read

6/21/17--A bill that would increase the tax rate on recreational marijuana from 12 percent to 28 percent sparked controversy when it was introduced in the Massachusetts House. Advocates who want to preserve the legalization law approved by voters say the tax rate pushed by the House would contribute to illegal sales by increasing the price of legal pot. Supporters of the House measure claim it would keep marijuana out of the hands of minors by sharply limiting advertising and putting more restrictions on edibles. Read

6/21/17--The Massachusetts House of Representatives passed an expansive rewrite of the voter-approved marijuana legalization law — a bill that would alter major aspects of the referendum backed by 1.8 million voters just seven months ago. The 126-to-28 vote sets up a showdown with the Senate, which is expected to greenlight a much more modest adjustment of the recreational pot law. Read

6/6/17--Tobacco businesses argue they have experience safeguarding a sensitive product through the supply chain, using sophisticated tracking technology that makes it difficult for bootleggers to pass off untaxed, smuggled cigarettes while also making it easier for inspectors to verify a pack has come through legitimate channels. By doing the same for the marijuana industry, they believe they can keep the black market at bay. The push by tobacco companies comes amid declines in their business. Read

5/9/17--Justice Department officials have been weighing new guidance that would encourage prosecutors to charge suspects with the most serious offenses they can prove. If embraced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, this could result in an increased use of rigid mandatory minimum sentences that critics have called unnecessarily harsh. Read