Marijuana - The Boston Globe

Fifth person dies from vaping illness in Mass. as CDC reports ‘continued declines’ in new cases

State health officials announced Wednesday that a fifth person has died from a vaping-related illness in Massachusetts.

A law said pot taxes should help communities harmed by the war on drugs. That hasn’t happened

Applications open for ‘jail-to-jobs’ marijuana pilot program at Roxbury Community College

The CultivatED program will choose 15 fellows for its small-scale, 12-week summer semester, slated to begin in early June.

Bill to legalize marijuana sales heads to Vermont House floor following key committee vote

Another Vermont House committee approved a bill to legalize the sale of marijuana Monday, with a vote by the full chamber expected in the coming days.

Cambridge will consider pot applications after all, despite previously saying it wouldn't

Cambridge is appealing a state judge's decision temporarily overturning a key part of the new approvals process meant to prioritize black and minority-owned businesses.

Police ‘confused’ about their role in world of legal marijuana, former BPD head Ed Davis says

Davis disagreed that police unfairly targeted communities of color. He said he had attended meetings where people wanted "more cops in neighborhoods, not less.”

across the country

Illinois recreational marijuana sales net $10M in tax revenue in 1st month
The sale of recreational marijuana in Illinois generated $7.3 million in cannabis tax revenue last month, the Illinois Department of Revenue announced Monday.

Hawaii bill would protect workers allowed to use medical marijuana

Some workers in Hawaii who test positive for marijuana during drug tests would no longer face punishment if they are medical marijuana patients under a legislative proposal.

Presidential candidates clash over marijuana legalization at Democratic debate

The Democratic presidential debate in South Carolina Tuesday revealed fissures in how the candidates view marijuana reform.

Elizabeth Warren has a new plan for legalizing marijuana

State lawmaker demands answers on how marijuana taxes are spent
The questions coincide with the Globe reporting that the state has not spent marijuana revenue on many purposes prescribed in state law like public safety and aid for communities targeted by the war on drugs.

A law said pot taxes should help communities harmed by the war on drugs. That hasn’t happened

CannaBus, the traveling mock marijuana dispensary, pays a visit to Boston
Inside a busy convention hall, the CannaBus mock dispensary is a quiet retreat from the whirlwind of networking and business talk that surrounds the bus walls.

Cannabis commission aims to slash licensing wait times

Marijuana regulators want to cut the wait time for a license in half in the next budget year, the chairman of the Cannabis Control Commission told state lawmakers Monday.

Conn. pilot sent to prison for flying tons of pot cross country

A pilot from Connecticut has been sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison for his role in a marijuana trafficking operation that made millions of dollars by moving about two tons of pot across the country in a small plane, federal prosecutors said.

More aggressive tax collections from unlicensed pot sellers recommended in Mass.

Pot investors beg executives for some humility at Boston cannabis conference

New Hampshire House approves marijuana legalization bill

‘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

New England

Amesbury pot shop opens for recreational marijuana sales

An Amesbury store opened for recreational marijuana sales this week, becoming Massachusetts’ 37th adult-use pot store.

Poll shows three-fourths of Vermont residents support legal marijuana sales

With a Vermont House vote expected in the coming days on a bill to legalize, tax, and regulate marijuana sales, a survey released Tuesday shows that 76 percent of Vermont residents are in favor of allowing adults to purchase marijuana “from regulated, taxpaying small businesses.”

New Hampshire House approves marijuana legalization bill

A bill to legalize the personal use, cultivation, and gifting of marijuana in New Hampshire is one step closer to becoming law.

Cambridge halts approval of pot businesses amid lawsuit

Harvard and MIT’s hometown is closed to recreational marijuana businesses, at least for now.

A law said pot taxes should help communities harmed by the war on drugs. That hasn’t happened

A year and a half into the state’s recreational cannabis rollout, none of the $67 million in excise taxes and fees left over after paying for the cost of regulators has gone to help those intended, a Globe data analysis has found.

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

Arkansas judge temporarily blocks new marijuana dispensary licenses

An Arkansas judge blocked the state Tuesday from issuing more licenses to sell medical marijuana after a state panel rejected a Pine Bluff dispensary’s license application.

World

Thousands light up joints during Hindu festival in Nepal

Hindu holy men were joined by devotees and the public Friday at a revered temple in Kathmandu where they lit up marijuana cigarettes during an annual festival despite prohibition and warnings by authorities.

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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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

Cannabis commission can review companies involved in Fall River mayor’s bribery scandal, judge rules
The Cannabis Control Commission will be given secret information about five marijuana companies involved in a federal bribery case against the former Fall River mayor, a federal judge has ruled.

Baker’s anti-stoned driving bill is dead — but marijuana cafés and employee protections move ahead in Legislature
Democrats on the Legislature's cannabis policy committee are charting a progressive course, killing off bills that would have toughened enforcement against illegal pot operators and stoned drivers while advancing legislation to allow pot cafes and protect employees who consume cannabis at home from being fired.

Police investigating break-in at Worcester pot shop; no arrests made yet
Two people broke into Worcester’s first recreational marijuana shop early Sunday, damaging the front door and the ATM, but taking no marijuana, police said.

Amesbury pot shop can open as early as this weekend
An Amesbury recreational marijuana shop can open as early as this weekend after cannabis regulators gave it the necessary sign-off Tuesday.

Maine might block marijuana trade info from public records
Maine lawmakers are going to consider a proposal from state regulators to exempt trade secrets, security, and operating procedures provided to the state by marijuana business from its public records law.

Maine deems dozens of pot business applications complete
Maine officials have deemed dozens of applications to run marijuana businesses to be complete, a major step on the way to the first legal sales of the drug for recreational adult use.

Marijuana giant Acreage concedes Mass. contracts are ‘inoperable’
Cannabis Control Commission investigators are warning the company over its deals with smaller operators, saying they appear to put Acreage in control and could violate state law.

Here’s what to know about Massachusetts’ 3 newest pot shops
There may have been a lull in marijuana shop openings over the holiday season, but Massachusetts appears to have resumed a fairly steady pace, with three new shops opening over the past two weeks.

8 ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the weed lover in your life
Roses are customary gifts for a loved one on Valentine’s Day, but what about trying a different kind of flower this year? Specifically, one of the marijuana variety.

Two proposed marijuana shops again stalled by Newton City Council
Marijuana retailers Ascend Mass LLC and Union Twist appeared Tuesday before the City Council’s Land Use Committee.

State Police find more than 360 pounds of pot during traffic stop in Sturbridge
A New York man was arrested in Sturbridge Wednesday night after State Police stopped him for allegedly speeding and found more than 360 pounds of marijuana in his minivan.

Top Connecticut lawmakers file marijuana legalization bill on behalf of governor
A governor-backed marijuana legalization bill was introduced by Connecticut’s top lawmakers on Thursday.

New Hampshire Senate approves bill to let medical marijuana patients grow their own plants
The New Hampshire Senate approved a bill Thursday that would allow medical marijuana patients and caregivers to cultivate their own cannabis.

Boston pot shop receives final license; opening could be just weeks away
Cannabis regulators awarded a final license Thursday to a Grove Hall dispensary that could become Boston’s first recreational marijuana store.

House passes bill to crack down on municipal marijuana agreements
The legislation answers years of complaints by applicants and advocates that cities and towns routinely gouge would-be cannabis operators.

Connecticut governor renews marijuana legalization pledge in budget proposal and speech
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont renewed his call for marijuana legalization in his State of the State address Wednesday, and he included funding to help establish a regulatory framework for cannabis in a budget proposal submitted to lawmakers.

Another Vermont House committee OKs bill to legalize marijuana sales
A push to legalize commercial marijuana sales in Vermont took another step forward Wednesday, with the House Ways and Means Committee voting to advance a bill to license and tax cannabis businesses.

Vermont committee unanimously approves bill to legalize marijuana sales
A Vermont House committee unanimously voted in favor of a bill Friday that would legalize commercial marijuana sales in the state.

New Hampshire lawmakers approve marijuana legalization bill
A New Hampshire House committee approved a bill last week that would legalize marijuana for adult use in the state.

House bill gives CCC power over host agreements
The Cannabis Control Commission would be explicitly empowered to "review, regulate and enforce" the legally-required contracts between marijuana businesses and their host communities under a new House bill teed up for debate and a vote Wednesday.

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.