Massachusetts

Thu
22
Jun

Massachusetts House OKs Bill That Would Redo Recreational Marijuana Law

A bill that would repeal and replace the recreational marijuana law approved by the state's voters in November cleared the House late Wednesday. Critics who lashed out at the proposal accused lawmakers of ignoring the will of the electorate and taking a hostile approach to the legal cannabis industry.

The Senate was poised to take up its own version of the bill, one calling for more modest revisions in the current law, on Thursday, setting the stage for negotiations between the chambers over a final version lawmakers hope to send to Republican Gov. Charlie Baker by July 1.

The House bill, approved on a 126-28 vote, would raise the tax on retail marijuana sales from 12 percent to 28 percent.

Tue
20
Jun

What’s Next for Marijuana Warehouses?

Taking advantage of an impending boom in industrial space for marijuana growers — notably class-B and class-C warehouses — isn’t as simple as just snatching up properties and signing up tenants.

Does the growing legalization of recreational and medical marijuana represent a pot of gold for industrial real estate? It could, experts say, but only if investors quickly and carefully pounce on opportunities.

Mon
19
Jun

Massachusetts Senate seeks to tweak, rather than completely overhaul, state's new marijuana law

Eyeing a June 30 deadline to get a bill to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk, the Massachusetts Senate on Friday released a proposal that attempts to come closer to the recreational marijuana law voters approved in November.

Through a ballot question, voters broadly legalized usage of recreational marijuana by adults ages 21 and over. But state lawmakers, who mostly opposed the ballot question, repeatedly said they planned to make changes if it passed.

The Senate proposal keeps in place voter referendums, rather than handing over control over pot bans to the governing entities of cities and towns as the House version does.

"Keeping the voters' voice is important," Patricia Jehlen, the Senate chair of the Legislature's Marijuana Policy Committee, told MassLive.com.

Wed
14
Jun

Massachusetts' Marijuana Proposal Seeks Higher Taxes, More Local Control

Lawmakers reviewing the Massachusetts' new recreational marijuana law plan to recommend sharply higher taxes and more control for city and town officials over retail pot shops in their communities, according to a copy of a House proposal obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

The draft legislation also would make dramatic changes to the Cannabis Control Commission, which will oversee recreational marijuana under the law approved by voters in November, effectively taking control of the commission away from the state treasurer.

Mon
12
Jun

Medical marijuana firms start again in Methuen

It might seem like a bit of deja vu for the three companies vying to set up a medical marijuana facility in Methuen.

In the coming days, representatives from Alternative Therapies Group Inc., BeWell Organic Medicine Inc., and Natural Remedies Inc., will come before a selection committee to present proposals for their dispensaries.

It's a process they've been through before, including when they went before the mayor and City Council for letters of non-opposition late last year. Letters of non-opposition, or support, are required by the state Department of Public Health as one of several steps in the application process to operate a registered marijuana dispensary. They indicate that a municipality will not stand in the way of a proposed facility.

Mon
12
Jun

Limits considered for marijuana advertising

Driven by concerns over marijuana marketing to teens, state lawmakers are weighing strict rules for recreational pot advertising but entrepreneurs seeking to take advantage of legal weed say that would block them from selling their products.

A voter-approved law allows adults 21 and older to possess up to an ounce of marijuana in public and up to 10 ounces at home, and to grow up to a dozen plants on their property. Retail pot shops are expected to open sometime next year.

On Beacon Hill, legislative leaders are working on a raft of regulations for pot sales and use, which they say are aimed at keeping the drug out of the hands of underage users.

Fri
09
Jun

It's legal to grow marijuana in Massachusetts: Here are tips on how to successfully cultivate your own cannabis

The law legalizing recreational marijuana in Massachusetts, approved by ballot measure in November, allows home growers to grow up to six marijuana plants per person or 12 per residence.

While state legislators are debating what to change in the new law, many residents have taken an interest in growing plants in their homes.

Wed
07
Jun

Massachusetts Medical Pot Dispensary Selling Marijuana Pizza

A Massachusetts medical marijuana dispensary has created a culinary delight for patients who don't want to smoke their pot or eat it in the form of sweets.

A Massachusetts medical marijuana dispensary has created a culinary delight for patients who don't want to smoke their pot or eat it in the form of sweets.

Quincy-based Ermont Inc. has been selling cannabis-infused pizza for about three weeks to rave reviews.

Director of Operations Seth Yaffe says the company has a whole range of marijuana edibles but he wanted to offer meals that patients could eat without a lot of sugar.

Wed
07
Jun

Massachusetts Tobacco Wholesalers Want in on Recreational Marijuana

Plenty of companies are angling to get in on the coming legalized pot bonanza. Some, however, are lobbying the state to carve off a piece just for them: cigarette wholesalers.

The companies that track, deliver, and tax all the cigarettes sold in Massachusetts are seeking a similar monopoly on recreational marijuana when sales begin in 2018. They’ve asked state officials to require marijuana producers to sell all their pot products through them — just as most alcohol has to pass through a wholesaler on its way to bars and package stores.

Wed
07
Jun

New Study Finds Cannabis Reduces Seizures In Epilepsy Patients

DEA stubbornly claims cannabis has no medicinal value, despite a growing body of serious research that finds otherwise.

A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found marijuana helped reduced seizures in patients with a rare form of epilepsy.

The study, published in May by the journal, involved children with a form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome. The disease features seizures that have proven resilient to most drug treatments and a high mortality rate for those diagnosed with the condition.

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