Canada's lessons in legalizing cannabis

Globe Cannabis reporter Naomi Martin travels north to take a closer look at how Canada's legalization process is playing out on the ground in Quebec. (Caitlin Healy/Globe Staff)

In legalizing marijuana, Canada did everything differently. Here’s what we can learn

Though it approached legalization very differently than Mass., Canada is grappling with some of the same challenges: high prices, short supplies, a robust black market.

I wanted to try medical marijuana. Why couldn’t my doctors help me?

Medical marijuana may have come to the states, but there is no integration with the medical community.

Cannabis commission defends pace of pot shop openings and lower-than-expected tax revenue

The chairman of Massachusetts’ cannabis commission is defending the agency after a state lawmaker criticized the lower-than-expected tax revenue generated for the state.

Boston’s first recreational marijuana store receives preliminary license, could open within months

Pure Oasis also became the first licensee in the state’s economic empowerment program, which helps people from groups hurt by the war on drugs.

Are marijuana shops preparing to open in your town?

Across the country

Homeland Security chief won’t say whether immigrant families should be separated over marijuana

The head of the Department of Homeland Security evaded a congressman’s question on Thursday about whether an immigrant’s prior conviction for simple marijuana possession should be grounds for family separation.

California pot regulators struggling with job, audit says

The agency overseeing California’s legal marijuana market has been overmatched by the job and is struggling to hire sufficient staff and set an overall strategy for the nation’s largest cannabis economy, an audit found.

As Mass. debates marijuana cafes, Colorado’s burgeoning scene offers insights

Five years after Colorado legalized pot following a campaign that it should be treated like alcohol, consumers say having cannabis bars is the next step in their evolution.

New England

Sal DiMasi hired by medical marijuana group to lobby city

Compassionate Organics hired Sal DiMasi to help with its proposed dispensary on Newbury Street, according to a disclosure DiMasi filed this month under the city’s new lobbying rules.

Cannabis commission taps six groups to boost social equity efforts

The Cannabis Control Commission selected six organizations to provide technical and financial assistance to prospective business owners from communities disproportionately harmed by past drug laws.

Boston’s first recreational marijuana store receives preliminary license, could open within months

Pure Oasis also became the first licensee in the state’s economic empowerment program, which helps people from groups hurt by the war on drugs.

CCC extends Boston lease at nearly $27,000 a month

The Cannabis Control Commission has re-upped the lease for its temporary digs in the Financial District, but expects to move into its Boston satellite office next month and get settled into its new Worcester headquarters by the end of 2019.

A Revere veteran’s legal marijuana job cost him a VA loan. Now, Congress is stepping in

In response to the veteran’s experience, the US House passed a measure banning the VA from considering veterans’ legal cannabis income as a reason to deny them their benefits.

This Week in Weed

A beloved cafeteria worker nicked his finger on a knife — and got fired for using marijuana at home

Sodexo’s decision to sack Leon Hagins after 13 years at MIT Lincoln Laboratory is prompting new calls for changes to state employment law.

Nation

Homeland Security chief won’t say whether immigrant families should be separated over marijuana

The head of the Department of Homeland Security evaded a congressman’s question on Thursday about whether an immigrant’s prior conviction for simple marijuana possession should be grounds for family separation.

World

Pot policy review in United States isn’t helping stocks

Suddenly, the US Senate is willing to talk about pot.

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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Latest local headlines

N.H. governor signs 1 marijuana bill, vetoes another
New Hampshire residents who were convicted of possessing small amounts of marijuana in the past will be able to annul their convictions.

For decades, this Christian bookseller went by the name CBD. Then that became a problem
Peabody-based Christian Book Distributors’ three-letter acronym — CBD — adorned its catalog covers, employee merchandise, even the company logo. Then came “the other CBD.”

Police find suspected marijuana plants in flower beds outside Vermont State House
Vermont Capitol Police found 34 suspected marijuana or hemp plants growing in flower beds outside the State House this week, and officers have no idea how they got there.

2 arrested in NY driving pot from Canada to Boston
Police say two men have been arrested in upstate New York while trying to drive 180 pounds of marijuana from Canada to Boston.

Brookline man arrested for illegal marijuana products
Aaron Ogungbadero, 39, was arrested by state troopers following a traffic stop on Storrow Drive, State Police said.

As Mass. debates marijuana cafes, Colorado’s burgeoning scene offers insights
Five years after Colorado legalized pot following a campaign that it should be treated like alcohol, consumers say having cannabis bars is the next step in their evolution.

Hemp industry backing CBD products legislation
Stung by recent policy pronouncements that have put the legality of hemp-derived CBD products in limbo, a coalition of Massachusetts hemp farmers is supporting a new bill to clarify the ability to sell CBD products and says the state needs to do more to protect the hemp industry.

Doctors debate whether chronic pain is a reason for medical marijuana in Connecticut
A state board is divided over whether to add “chronic pain” as one of the approved conditions for registration in Connecticut’s medical marijuana program.

Springfield to begin talks with 4 companies vying to open pot shops
Stores that sell recreational marijuana have yet to take root in Springfield, but that could change in the coming months.

15 Maine communities opt into legal pot, more expected
The number of cities and towns opting in to legalized marijuana is slowly growing in Maine as the state gets closer to accepting applications for licenses.

300 marijuana plants seized during drug bust at home in Carver; 1 arrested
The homeowner of 5 Bisbee Drive alerted police around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday that his tenant was conducting an illegal marijuana growing operation out of the home.

ACLU settles lawsuit against town over medical marijuana ordinance
The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island says it has settled a lawsuit filed against the town of Smithfield over a local ordinance that limited the amount of medical marijuana a resident could grow or possess.

Here’s what to know about the pot shops opening in Massachusetts this week
Two recreational shops will open their doors Friday, bringing the total number of adult-use stores in Massachusetts to 22.

Norfolk police find over 50 marijuana plants
Police found more than 50 marijuana plants while executing a search warrant Monday in Norfolk, officials said.

Two recreational marijuana shops get OK to open
Two recreational marijuana shops received approval from the state to open as early as this week — one in Chicopee and the other in Lee.

Connecticut offering new license for hemp entrepreneurs
Connecticut’s Department of Consumer Protection is reminding hemp entrepreneurs they need to be licensed with the agency if they want to manufacture certain hemp products.

Massachusetts says hemp-derived CBD is illegal — but CBD stores are still everywhere
The popularity of CBD has prompted questions and confusion from consumers who want to make sure their products are safe, legal, and reliable. But the overarching question remains: Is this even legal?

Bill filed in Mass. House would make CBD legal in food, cosmetics, and more
A bill filed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives on Thursday would clear up statewide confusion around the legality of CBD.

Braintree brothers allegedly ran multistate marijuana trafficking operation and spent proceeds in casinos
Authorities reviewed records from MGM Springfield and noticed “activity that was consistent with money laundering,” according to a statement from the attorney general’s office.

Maine governor signs rules to finally allow pot sales
Maine Democratic Governor Janet Mills has signed a law setting up a legal framework for the sale of recreational marijuana to adults.

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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.