Marijuana - The Boston Globe

‘My life came crashing down overnight’: How one Boston-area woman nearly died from vaping

A 33-year-old veterinary technician thought she could trust her dealer’s legitimate-looking vapes to help her relax and treat her migraines. Instead, she ended up hospitalized for two weeks.

FROM GLOBE OPINION: I nearly died from vaping, and you could tooFourth person dies in Massachusetts from vapingVaping kills 15-year-old in Texas, youngest vaping death reported yet

2 million people with heart disease report using marijuana, Brigham and Women’s doctors find in new study

More than 2 million people with heart disease in the United States have used or are currently using marijuana, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital revealed in a newly published article, emphasizing the need for more research about marijuana’s potential cardiovascular risks.

Marijuana entrepreneur says her outbursts brought results

The dispute highlights long-simmering frustrations among some applicants who say the state has not kept its promises to give them a fair chance in the industry.

Local marijuana applicants return to cannabis meeting to voice concerns over licensing

R.I. lawmakers meet to hear testimony on medical marijuana bill

Rhode Island lawmakers are considering a bill to undo a change to how medical marijuana dispensaries are regulated, to address a lawsuit by the governor.

Raimondo budget sets up clash with lawmakers over car tax, marijuana

Marijuana firm TILT backs off of strict contracts under pressure from state CCC

After a spectacular business implosion and under regulatory pressure, TILT Holdings is backing down from the onerous deals it once offered local marijuana business applicants.

Heavy marijuana users who started young drive differently — even while not stoned

Researchers at McLean Hospital found that heavy cannabis consumers who weren’t acutely impaired drove as well as non-cannabis users — unless they had started using the drug frequently before age 16.

across the country

Cities can’t opt out of legal pot under New Mexico proposal
New Mexico would legalize recreational marijuana sales without exceptions for dissenting cities and counties under a rebooted proposal.

New Mexico marijuana legalization bill filed

Oregon marijuana sales 420 percent stronger near Idaho, report shows

Idaho residents are purchasing recreational marijuana in Oregon because it is illegal in Idaho, the report released Friday by the Oregon Office of Economic Analysis said.

Fall River’s second pot shop gets OK to open as early as next week

A cannabis company in Fall River will become the city’s second recreational marijuana shop after it received its final sign-off from the Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday.

Two more marijuana shops, in Plymouth and Provincetown, get OK to open

NAMES
Snoop Dogg’s whirlwind New England trip: pot, performing, and the Celtics
Rapper Snoop Dogg traveled through New England this week in a packed trip that included a Celtics game at TD Garden, three performances, and a stop at a local marijuana shop.

Mexico Senate leader seeks to legalize marijuana this spring

Mexico’s Senate is set to debate bills to legalize marijuana and regulate outsourcing in the coming period from February to April.

Marijuana legalization will advance in Connecticut this year, top lawmakers say

When Connecticut’s Legislature convenes for its 2020 session next month, top lawmakers say marijuana legalization will be a priority.

Vermont governor seems open to legalizing marijuana sales
Vermont’s governor is apparently open to legalizing, taxing, and regulating marijuana sales in the state — a significant shift from his previous position.

Illicit pot gets cheaper as legal prices rise in Canada

One year after Canada legalized recreational cannabis, the price gap between legal and illegal sources is only getting bigger.

Marijuana helps Pittsfield save for rainy day

Recreational marijuana sales have been a boon to Pittsfield's ability to stash money away in case of an emergency or downturn.

New England

R.I.’s congressional delegation divided over legalizing marijuana at federal level

What were Senators Reed and Whitehouse and Representatives Langevin and Cicilline up to this in Washington, D.C. this week? Here's our overview.

Marijuana entrepreneur says her outbursts aimed at cannabis commissioners brought results

The dispute highlights long-simmering frustrations among some applicants who say the state has not kept its promises to give them a fair chance at earning a piece of the nearly $400 million-a-year industry.

Heavy marijuana users who started young drive differently — even while not stoned, study says

Researchers at McLean Hospital found that heavy cannabis consumers who weren’t acutely impaired drove as well as non-cannabis users — unless they had started using the drug frequently before age 16.

New Hampshire lawmakers take new approach to marijuana legalization for 2020

The New Hampshire Legislature is set to once again take up the issue of marijuana legalization this session — but this time, there’s a new strategy that lawmakers hope will overcome challenges they’ve previously faced.

Maine marijuana needs bank, insurance access, lawmaker says

A Maine legislator is calling on the state’s legislative body to push the US Congress to make banking and insurance accessible to legalized cannabis businesses.

This Week in Weed

10 predictions for the Massachusetts marijuana industry in 2020

Here’s what Globe cannabis reporter Dan Adams predicts will happen in the Massachusetts marijuana industry in 2020.

Nation

Proposal calls for Alaska pot, alcohol board administrators

The boards that regulate alcohol and the legal marijuana industry in Alaska would have their own administrators under a proposal pitched by the interim director of the Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office as a way to improve operations.

World

Illicit pot gets cheaper as legal prices rise in Canada

One year after Canada legalized recreational cannabis, the price gap between legal and illegal sources is only getting bigger.

The essential guide to buying and consuming pot in Massachusetts

These are the most common questions marijuana budtenders get asked

Your guide to shopping at Massachusetts’ recreational marijuana stores

The hidden titans of pot

Massachusetts legalized the sale of recreational marijuana with the ambition to be different — and better. But two years since the law went into effect, troubling signs loom. This three-part series uncovers stealth moves by large investors poised to dominate this nascent industry and outmaneuver regulators.

These companies test the limits — and brag about it

No firm is allowed to own or control more than three recreational marijuana stores. But two companies — Sea Hunter and Acreage — are testing the limits.

Inside one battle that could change the marijuana industry

The race to open Mattapan Square’s first pot shop raises questions about trust and who gets to cash in.

For sale in the pot industry: political influence

Marijuana may be the hot, new retail business in town, but it largely plays by the old political rules.

More coverage

Eight takeaways from the Spotlight series on the state’s burgeoning marijuana industry

Marijuana company’s expansion plans test Mass. law

Massachusetts marijuana regulators investigating whether companies violated license limits

Beyond Massachusetts, states struggle to limit marijuana behemoths

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The Daily Rip, written Monday through Friday, dives into the top marijuana headlines of the day, in New England and around the world.

Special Report

Welcome to Big Marijuana’s factory floor

Inside the headquarters of Canada's Canopy Growth Corp., the world’s largest marijuana company that critics call the "Walmart of Weed." (Video by Caitlin Healy/Globe Staff)

Inside the Walmart of Weed: From rural Canada, Big Marijuana seeks to dominate global market

Latest local headlines

Maine’s hemp farmers want to grow their businesses, but rules loom
Hemp growers in Maine are concerned that new rules governing the crop could hold back the growth of an industry that is already the largest in New England.

Joe Kennedy, formerly anti-marijuana, cosponsors comprehensive legalization bill
A bill to federally legalize marijuana and implement restorative justice policies gained a notable cosponsor on Wednesday: US Representative Joe Kennedy III, who only recently backed cannabis reform after being a long-time opponent.

‘Very pungent odor’ leads police to 10 pounds of marijuana, arrest at South Station
A Brooklyn man was arrested after he was found with 10 pounds of marijuana stuffed into his travel bag at South Station Thursday afternoon, police said.

Some Vermont lawmakers push for marijuana sale system
Some Vermont lawmakers and other officials Thursday urged the full Legislature to pass a law to tax and regulate marijuana sales in the state.

Marijuana helps Pittsfield save for rainy day
Recreational marijuana sales have been a boon to Pittsfield's ability to stash money away in case of an emergency or downturn, a strategy that a state official said Thursday could be useful in other communities.

R.I.’s congressional delegation divided over legalizing marijuana at federal level
What were Senators Reed and Whitehouse and Representatives Langevin and Cicilline up to this in Washington, D.C. this week? Here's our overview.

‘This is insanity’: Local marijuana applicants return to cannabis meeting to voice concerns over licensing
Marijuana entrepreneurs and advocates returned Thursday to Worcester, where they hoped — for the second time — to keep cannabis regulators from approving licenses before addressing their concerns about the state’s licensing process.

Top R.I. Democrats aim to undo change to medical marijuana rules
Legislative leaders in Rhode Island said Wednesday they’re working to undo a change to how medical marijuana dispensaries are regulated, to address a lawsuit by the governor.

N.H. House passes bills to expand medical marijuana
The New Hampshire House approved a pair of bills Wednesday to make medical marijuana available to more patients, but a more expansive bill died in the Senate.

Andrea Cabral’s Boston pot shop gets initial license from cannabis regulators
Former Suffolk County sheriff Andrea Cabral’s Boston recreational marijuana shop received its provisional license from Massachusetts cannabis regulators Thursday, moving it one step closer to opening day.

Five online vape retailers banned from selling flavored vapes in Mass.
A Massachusetts judge has granted a motion from the state attorney general’s office to bar five online e-cigarette retailers from selling their products to state residents while a lawsuit against the companies is pending.

Fourth person dies in Massachusetts from vaping
A fourth person has died in Massachusetts from a vaping-related illness, state health officials announced Wednesday.

Maine’s largest city won’t be first to offer legal pot sales
Maine’s largest city will be behind other communities in the state when legal marijuana sales begin this year.

Maine governor pardons tribal attorney for 1968 pot charge
A tribal attorney arrested for possessing marijuana while fighting for Passamaquoddy tribe land rights in 1968 was granted a posthumous pardon on Tuesday.

Middleborough selectman’s campaign finance violation involving pot company draws GOP fire
A Middleborough selectman has agreed to pay $2,000 to the state to resolve a slew of campaign finance violations, including inaccurately reporting donations received from a director of a marijuana business in his town.

Hearing to be held in Rhode Island on proposed flavored vape products ban
Rhode Island health officials will hold a public hearing on proposed regulations to permanently ban the sale of flavored vaping products in the state.

New rules in Maine would align hemp growers with federal regulations
A set of proposed rules in Maine would help ease the state’s 154 hemp farmers into compliance with looming federal regulations.

New approach to curbing marijuana use among teens: ‘just say no’ gives way to ‘just smoke less’
New initiatives to help teenagers tend to focus on treatment, instead of solely on stopping cold turkey and on punishment.

Massachusetts’ marijuana shops report $420 million in sales in 2019
Recreational marijuana shops in Massachusetts raked in more than $420 million in sales in the first full calendar year of legalization, according to new state data.

SJC declines to decide whether Baker overstepped his executive powers on vape ban
Calling the controversy “moot,” the Supreme Judicial Court said it would be “neither necessary, nor wise, for this court to weigh in” on the scope of executive powers.

Are recreational marijuana shops preparing to open in your town? Check our maps

Data released by the Cannabis Control Commission show where marijuana operators have set up shop and where they hope to.

All 2020 presidential candidates now support marijuana legalization efforts — even the Republicans

Bill Clinton “didn’t inhale” marijuana, and it was Obama’s “mistake,” but now all 12 official Democratic candidates told the Globe they support full nationwide legalization, Canada-style.