GLOUCESTER - A Boston-based company is seeking to open a dispensary in Gloucester's Cape Ann Industrial Park on Kondelin Road, the second company to try to carve out a niche serving medical marijuana patients from across Cape Ann. Company spokesman Frank Perullo confirmed Friday that Mayflower Medicinals has an agreement in place to lease some 2,000 square feet in a part of the industrial building at 8 Kondelin Road for a medical marijuana dispensary. The building, which houses Glass Tech Boat Service and includes 15,800 square feet of commercial and industrial space overall, is owned by a corporation called New Kondelin Road LLC, according to records in the city assessors' office. [continues 711 words]
Gloucester has taken a step toward joining the list of Massachusetts communities to host a medical marijuana facility. Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken's office agreed not to oppose plans by Happy Valley Ventures of Newton to open a medical marijuana dispensary and cultivation facility at the Blackburn Industrial Park. Department of Public Health regulations require a letter of support or nonopposition as part of the state application process. "Our community is in a unique position to offer meaningful medical solutions to those in critical need, while potentially helping to expand new economic avenues," Theken said. "Any agreement with the city of Gloucester must ensure legal, safe, and secure use of medical marijuana for approved patients, but any opportunity to help provide relief to our elderly, our veterans, our sick and dying, will always be heard." [continues 290 words]
The state has pulled the license of Dr. Tyrone S. Cushing, accusing him of recommending medical marijuana in 2013 for a visibly pregnant woman with a history of substance abuse. Cushing, who worked at CannaMed, a medical marijuana consultant service in Framingham, is the second doctor in recent days to have his license summarily suspended for improperly certifying patients as eligible to receive medical marijuana. In its summary suspension order Thursday, the Board of Registration in Medicine described Cushing as the state's "third-highest provider of medical marijuana certificates," having issued 4,649 certificates as of May 20 while working only two days a week. Cushing acknowledged he did not conduct any physical examination or obtain vital signs of any patients, and may have certified many pregnant women, according to the order. [continues 363 words]
A top retailers group, worried about worker productivity declining and plumes of pot smoke deterring customers from Main Street businesses, came out Wednesday against a ballot question that would legalize marijuana. Jon B. Hurst, president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, had earlier said he and his members were torn on the controversial issue and likely to stay neutral. But he said Wednesday, after learning more about the potential drawbacks of the proposed referendum - from the proliferation of marijuana-infused edibles like brownies, to its generous limits on the home growing of pot - his group decided, on balance, it would be best if the ballot push is defeated. [continues 528 words]
Governor Charlie Baker and the legislative leadership should be applauded for moving aggressively to address the opioid crisis. This epidemic is not new, but has now reached our most privileged communities. For the less privileged minority communities, it has long paved a road of destruction, incarceration, and death. Our war on drugs over the past 30 years has created a largely forgotten population of citizens in their own drug crisis: those returning from prisons and jails. The shortage of treatment resources in the community perpetuates a revolving door of release, relapse, and recidivism. Although there may be good substance-abuse treatment programs inside prisons and jails, there is a serious lack of support once inmates return to the community. An institutionalized population steps into a maze of underfunded and fragmented services. [continues 552 words]
Massachusetts regulators are pledging to crack down on medical marijuana dispensaries after several shops placed low-income patients on waiting lists for discounted products - creating delays that run afoul of state law. A Globe review found that the delays were often months long, effectively denying those low-income patients the discounts state regulations require for anyone with a verified financial hardship, with no cap on the number. The dispensaries had contended their financial hardship programs were full. The state Department of Public Health said it will now scrutinize dispensary hardship programs as part of the agency's regular inspections to make sure they comply with state regulations. [continues 888 words]
There's growing recognition among public officials that substance abuse is a health problem that won't be solved by police or prisons. "We can't arrest our way out of the problem" is almost a cliche at this point, years into our regional opioid crisis. You wouldn't know it from reading "Opioid crisis hits too close to home for Salem couple" (Page A1, May 25). In detailing the fears of its protagonists - - condo owners in Salem - the article makes it sound like the only reasonable approach is to pay more police to put more people in cages. [continues 118 words]
A veteran Lawrence police officer was arrested late Thursday on charges that he used his power as a police officer to take cocaine from a drug dealer for personal use, then threatened the dealer with arrest if he notified authorities. John R. Desantis Jr., 44, of Methuen, was charged with unlawfully obtaining property by extortion under color of official right, and threatened force and fear. He did not enter a plea during a Friday court appearance, but his lawyer says he denies the allegations. Desantis is being held until a hearing Tuesday. [continues 352 words]
WAKEFIELD -- The state board that oversees physicians on Thursday temporarily suspended the licenses of two doctors, one physician for improperly prescribing medical marijuana on "multiple occasions" and a second for making opiates available to a patient who later died of an overdose. The Board of Registration in Medicine unanimously voted to suspend the licenses of Dr. John C. Nadolny, 57, and Dr. Fred J. Thaler, 60, after about two hours of closed-door hearings at the panel's Wakefield headquarters. Neither doctor could be reached for comment afterward. They will appear for hearings within days before the Division of Administrative Law Appeals to determine the length of their suspensions, which are effective immediately. [continues 421 words]
Federal securities regulators in Boston filed civil fraud charges Thursday against a company and four individuals allegedly involved in a scheme to steal from investors in a purported medical marijuana venture. According to a complaint filed in federal court in Boston, Christopher R. Esposito, 49, of Topsfield, raised more than $550,000 from investors in 2011 and 2012 in his Lionshare Ventures. He allegedly used the majority of the funds for unauthorized personal expenses, such as groceries and pet care, and then spent $75,000 to secretly take control of Cannabiz Mobile Inc. without disclosing that to investors. [continues 279 words]
SALEM - Every night, Shawn Meenan places a 12-foot piece of lumber against the main door of his third-floor condo, bracing it tight against intruders. His girlfriend, Rachel Shellabarger, places a second board against another door. In a cubbyhole, a video monitor for a $1,700 surveillance system shows all activity outside the building - every car that pulls up, every three-minute visit, every mysterious packet that flutters from neighboring windows to people waiting below. The couple bought the two-bedroom condo in January 2015 for its water views and affordable price. But instead of a fresh start, they say they feel under siege in a place where drugs are sold openly. [continues 1029 words]
Just how much marijuana is too much when getting behind the wheel? Is any amount safe? Those questions emerged anew after prosecutors alleged last week that a driver had visited a medical marijuana dispensary an hour before his car struck a State Police cruiser, killing the trooper inside. That motorist, who was authorized to use marijuana for medical purposes and had traces of the drug detected in his blood, was impaired, authorities said. But gauging marijuana impairment is not clear-cut. The risks from drinking and driving have been studied for years, but the data about marijuana's effect on motorists are considerably less robust. [continues 830 words]
There's no easy way to convict someone of being stoned while behind the wheel, and recent high-court decisions tied with patchwork sobriety tests have made things even tougher for state prosecutors. And it could be very difficult to prove that David Njuguna was high, as prosecutors say he was when he crashed into a state police cruiser in Charlton in March, killing trooper Thomas L. Clardy. Any defense attorney in the state would rather handle an OUI marijuana than a standard drunken driving case. Even before pot smokers are pulled over, they have more protections than someone who had one too many beers. [continues 358 words]
More drugs, more problems - it's as simple as that. If you legalize something, there's going to be more of it around. In the case of drugs, any drugs, that availability means more and more losers stumbling around stoned out of their minds, slackjawed enough to hurt innocent people, maybe even themselves, as a result. Innocent people, in this case, like trooper Thomas Clardy, his widow and their six now-fatherless children, ages 4 to 17. I'm pessimistic about the chances of stopping this marijuana-legalization question on the ballot in November. But if the voters are paying any attention whatsoever, this horrific crime in Charlton should certainly be a major issue for Big THC to have to defend. [continues 525 words]
Some local doctors are calling for more scientific evidence to back marijuana's medicinal value, and say close oversight is needed for pot dispensaries and prescribers to ensure that it does not get into the wrong hands. "I think there's a good place and time for use of marijuana," said Dr. Katherine Gergen Barnett, a doctor at Boston Medical Center who specializes in integrative medicine. "But we haven't as a society and as a medical institution done enough to oversee how people are getting prescribed marijuana." [continues 221 words]
A Webster man was driving high on medical marijuana he had just bought at a Brookline dispensary when his car careened off the Massachusetts Turnpike, slamming into the back of a parked state police SUV and killing trooper Thomas L. Clardy, authorities said yesterday. David Njuguna "had an active THC level in his blood at the time of the collision," prosecutor Jeff Travers said after the 30-year-old pleaded not guilty in Worcester Superior Court to numerous charges in the March 16 crash, including manslaughter, motor vehicle homicide by negligence and motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of drugs. [continues 484 words]
BOSTON - The number of people treating their chronic pain, cancer symptoms or other medical conditions with marijuana has nearly quadrupled in a year, but a scarcity of licensed dispensaries and supply shortages are keeping many from getting their medicine, advocates say. At least 24,196 patients are certified to buy medical marijuana in Massachusetts, according to the Department of Public Health, up from nearly 7,846 a year ago. In April, patients bought 9,603 ounces of marijuana from six licensed dispensaries, according to the department. [continues 775 words]
The tomato seedlings in the urban garden were sprouting. The basketball court was filled with men in blue, gray, and brown uniforms shooting hoops and doing pushups. Inside, at vocational classes, men learned the art of tailoring a suit while a group of women studied toward their GEDs. In many ways, the South Bay House of Correction has become a microcosm of the country's evolving attitudes toward drug abuse and drug-related crimes. The facility just off Interstate 93 in Boston is a different place compared with the early 1990s, when leaders in Washington passed a stringent crime bill that authorized stiff penalties for drug crimes and nearly doubled the country's prison population. [continues 1055 words]
Reports of suspected elder abuse in Massachusetts have surged over the past five years, according to state figures - a troubling increase that law enforcement and elder advocates say is fueled in part by the opioid crisis and addicted adult children exploiting parents and other relatives. Since 2011, abuse reports have climbed 37 percent, with more than 1,000 additional cases reported each of the past five years to protective services offices. The Executive Office of Elder Affairs, the agency that tracks and investigates abuse, recorded nearly 25,000 cases last year, but the state's numbers do not delineate how many involved opioids. [continues 905 words]
Thank you, Dianne Williamson! I applaud your bravery (for admitting your own occasional marijuana use), and your integrity in calling for marijuana legalization and for calling out the absurd scare tactics being used by Massachusetts politicos to keep people from voting in favor of legalization. The debate over legalization needs more sane, honest voices like yours and less fear-mongering about marijuana's purported "dangers." In addition to such personal commentary, we also need to hear voices speaking up for the thousands of people incarcerated for marijuana crimes. Peoples' lives have been ruined, and will continue to be ruined, by marijuana prohibition in this state and across the country. At least in our state, the voters can begin to redress this injustice in November by voting to legalize recreational marijuana use. Patrick Warner Worcester [end]
Sacha Pfeiffer's powerful Globe report ("Overwhelmed by overdoses, clinic offers a room for highs," Page A1, April 26) on Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program's new safe space project, where drug users can receive medical monitoring and support while they are high, is a ground-breaking and essential new intervention in treating and helping those whose lives are most at risk from opioids. Today's unprecedented opioid crisis requires creative interventions on many fronts. The safe space project is highly innovative for Massachusetts, deeply humane for the individual, and realistic in the kind of new interventions we must consider implementing if we are to get ahead of this epidemic. [continues 89 words]
Social workers across Massachusetts are on the front lines of the opioid epidemic. We work in treatment programs, community-based coalitions, sheriffs' departments, jails, drug courts, and hospitals. Every day we live with the newly released data on opioid and heroin deaths ( "Heroin, prescription drugs weigh heavily on Mass," Page A1, May 2) as our clients die. These drastic numbers, unique across the country, cry out for new solutions. Our historic attempts to prevent and reduce substance use through harsh penal sanctions have failed. [continues 140 words]
This just in: Overdose deaths in Massachusetts increased 7 percent last year. That figure is significant because the rise in deaths is slower than previous years, an indication that greater awareness and legislation are making a small dent in the epidemic. And the comprehensive opioid legislation signed by Governor Charlie Baker two months ago, including the first law in the nation establishing a seven-day supply limit on first-time opioid prescriptions, should help make a difference over time. Still, there were nearly 1,400 lives lost statewide last year to opioid and heroin abuse, an unconscionable toll that shows there's more to be done. Policy makers must turn their focus to what happens to addicts after they detox or get treatment, a vulnerable population in dire need of community-based, sustainable pathways to recovery. Legislative action must address the real needs for additional services or the Commonwealth risks losing addicts in an overwhelmed provider network. [continues 511 words]
Massachusetts voters are evenly divided over a proposed ballot question that would legalize the recreational use of marijuana, but they strongly support another proposed referendum that would allow more charter schools in the state, according to a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll. Voters also overwhelmingly back legislation that would protect transgender people from discrimination in malls, restaurants, and other public accommodations - and allow people to use the public restroom that matches their gender identity. Even more popular was a proposed "millionaires' tax" that would raise rates on residents with annual incomes of $1 million or more. It garnered runaway support in the poll. [continues 1127 words]
BOSTON (AP) - Supporters of a November ballot question to legalize recreational marijuana have misled voters about its ramifications and the measure should be blocked, opponents say in a lawsuit filed with Massachusetts' highest court. The suit, filed with the Supreme Judicial Court, claims the ballot question would allow for the sale of genetically modified forms of marijuana with THC concentrations of 60 percent or higher, the Bellotti Law Group says. It also alleges voters have not been told that high concentrations of THC could be added to food or beverages, such as candy, cookies or soda. Bellotti filed the complaint this week on behalf of 59 voters. Under the proposal, Massachusetts residents 21 or older could possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana for recreational use. [end]
Marijuana shouldn't be more regulated than alcohol ("Legalization battle bound for state's highest court," April 29). The states of Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and Colorado have moved to end marijuana prohibition and legalize and regulate pot just as we do alcohol. After almost 50 years of enduring an incredibly harmful and ineffective war on marijuana, the people of these states have finally and rightly concluded that there is no rational or humane reason to criminalize and outlaw the purchase or sale of marijuana. [continues 88 words]
The anti-marijuana legalization committee headed by Gov. Charlie Baker, Mayor Martin J. Walsh and House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo is publicly urging legalization backers to come clean about the high potency of the drugs the measure would legalize - and acknowledge that the marijuana industry depends on these high-octane pot products to make a profit. The Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts cites claims in a legal challenge - currently pending before the state's highest court - - alleging that the marijuana legalization ballot measure is based on misleading information about the potency of the drugs it would legalize. [continues 239 words]
The former drug-addicted chemist who got high at work nearly every day for eight years handled more than 500 cases in Suffolk County alone - and up to 1,500 total were processed at the Amherst lab during her time there - according to officials sorting through the fallout of the state's latest drug lab scandal. The case count in Suffolk likely represents only a fraction of those district attorneys across the state are now scrambling to identify in the wake of a damning attorney general's report on the misconduct of ex-chemist Sonja Farak. [continues 361 words]
A state chemist at an Amherst drug lab got high on methamphetamines or other drugs almost every day at work for nearly eight years, consumed the lab's own supply of drugs, and cooked crack cocaine in the lab after hours - actions that jeopardize an untold number of cases - according to an investigative report released Tuesday. Investigators for the attorney general's office found that chemist Sonja Farak had tested drug samples or testified in court between about 2005 and 2013 while under the influence of meth, ketamine, cocaine, LSD, and other drugs, according to the report, much of which is based on Farak's own grand jury testimony. She even smoked crack before a 2012 interview with State Police officials inspecting the lab for accreditation purposes, she testified. [continues 768 words]
One delivery service offers gluten-free marijuana brownies. Another promises a free marijuana-laced lollipop with each order. A third touts trained "caregivers" and delivery until 4 a.m. These marijuana delivery services - the objects of an unsuccessful crackdown by Massachusetts health officials two years ago - were expected to fade away once the first state-sanctioned medical marijuana dispensaries opened last year. Instead, they have proliferated. More than two dozen of these Internet-based services are now openly advertising long menus of marijuana strains and edibles, plus prices and user reviews, the Globe found. [continues 966 words]
More than half the people who died last year from opioid overdoses had the powerful drug fentanyl in their blood, according to data released Monday by the state Department of Public Health. The department's quarterly report on overdoses included information about fentanyl for the first time, confirming reports from law enforcement that the synthetic opioid - more powerful than morphine or heroin - may be playing a major role in the overdose epidemic. Dealers are believed to be lacing heroin with fentanyl, making it even more deadly. [continues 531 words]
The Massachusetts heroin epidemic is unlike any other in the United States. The overdose rate in the state is more than twice the national average. And deaths from prescription opioids like OxyContin are only slightly less harrowing. Unusual, too, is the degree to which these two scourges are feeding off each other. A substantial and spiking number of overdoses in Massachusetts involves both heroin and prescription drugs, something you rarely find elsewhere in the United States. Until now, it's been hard to see how, exactly, heroin and prescription opioids were interacting, since almost all available data lump them together under the heading of "opioids." But a Globe examination of the information in death certificates from 1999 to 2014 reveals the increasingly toxic interplay between the drugs, both at the state level and in individual counties. [continues 1030 words]
WASHINGTON - The battle over legalizing recreational marijuana in Massachusetts will land before the state's highest court in June - when opponents will argue that the petition to put it on the ballot was misleading. Challengers to the proposed November state ballot question will ask the justices of the Supreme Judicial Court to throw out the more than 100,000 signatures collected to certify the ballot measure. "The voters who signed the petition to put the measure on the ballot weren't told what the legislation would do," said John Scheft, an attorney representing a group of registered voters who filed a complaint last week challenging the measure. [continues 339 words]
The Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents, saying it is worried legalizing marijuana for adults will make it easier for kids to gain access to the drug, came out Wednesday against a likely ballot question to make marijuana legal for recreational use. "As superintendents, our primary focus is on helping each and every student reach their full potential, and we believe the commercial legalization of marijuana runs directly counter to that goal," the executive director of the association, Tom Scott, said in a statement. "Where marijuana is legal, we see increased use and abuse by young people." [continues 339 words]
It has become a grim workplace routine: the "code blue" crackling over the loudspeaker. The all-hands-on-deck emergency response. Then, in more than half the calls, the discovery of a nonresponsive person - - blue lips, shallow breathing, and constricted pupils, all telltale signs of a drug overdose. "It's happening everywhere," said Dr. Jessie Gaeta, chief medical officer at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, headquartered in the South End neighborhood infamously nicknamed Methadone Mile. "People literally slump over in the waiting room. . . . At the pharmacy window, in the lobby, in the dental clinic, in the respite clinic," she said. "Everywhere." [continues 1171 words]
When I think about the prospect of legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts, I surprise myself by sounding like my father. Cannabis tourism? THC-infused lip balm? "Budz and sudz" crawls? What is the world coming to? The combination of vice and capitalism is a powerful one, so it might be expected that entrepreneurs are rushing to market these artisanal highs. In Colorado, one of the first states to legalize recreational marijuana, cannabis concierge services are thriving, from ganja yoga retreats to weed weddings. Sales nearly hit $1 billion last year, with the state raking in tax and licensing fees of $135 million. [continues 554 words]
Norwood Police Chief William G. Brooks III says he thinks welcoming a medical marijuana dispensary to his town is a mistake, and if Norwood's selectmen choose to do it, he does not want any revenue from the operation to go to his department. "If the town does sign a host agreement and receive revenue from the marijuana industry, I respectfully request that the Norwood Police Department not receive a share. I could not in good conscience accept it," Brooks wrote to the Board of Selectmen recently. [continues 454 words]
I have worked for more than 40 years as a psychotherapist with several thousand teens and adults confronting a variety of personal, marital, and family challenges. I find the argument raised by those who oppose legalizing marijuana for adults - that it would "put our children at risk" - to be confusing and shortsighted ("Key players join forces against marijuana," Metro, April 14). When kids want alcohol, they usually find some willing adult to buy it for them from a local liquor store. If teens want to use marijuana, on the other hand, that moves them toward somebody who has access to a wider range of more dangerous drugs. If it were legalized, I assume most kids would obtain it as they now get alcohol, and their contact with more dangerous drugs would be potentially limited. [continues 136 words]
Governor Charlie Baker, Mayor Martin Walsh, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo aligning against the ballot initiative to legalize marijuana ("KEY players join forces against marijuana") is another instance of politicians refusing, to the bitter end, to acknowledge the utter failure of criminal regulation. Their arguments are absurd and hypocritical. Legalization will not increase teens' access to marijuana, since right now any child can readily obtain the product on the illegal market - a market regulated by gangsters. Marijuana has nothing to do with the opioid epidemic. [continues 106 words]
Dr. Kevin P. Hill's April 15 opinion piece, "Getting marijuana policy right," stated that, in his opinion, "no one with any ties to pro-or antimarijuana groups should serve on the Cannabis Control Commission." In reality, such commissions are usually filled either with retired politicians or with people with business connections to the industry being regulated. Almost every politician since the 1930s, at least in the two main parties, has been OK with marijuana prohibition. Many were fanatically anti-marijuana, and the others were at least content with acquiescing to the status quo. [continues 66 words]
I'm not sure where all the hand-wringing is coming from regarding the proposed ballot question to legalize recreational use of marijuana. If the question does pass, I expect a similar reaction in the Legislature to that of November 1998. Remember Question 2? The Clean Elections Law was ignored by the Legislature because lawmakers didn't like it, and was quietly killed just a few years later. I expect the same with the marijuana question. Brian Mehigan Stow [end]
In response to the article "Treasurer looks for limits on legal marijuana" (Page A1, April 21), I'd like to say that I am not opposed to legalizing marijuana per se. I did vote for legalizing medical marijuana. However, I have a right to breathe clean air while on the street. Today I object to having to breathe cigarette smoke from others. If a measure to legalize marijuana should pass, I will have to also breathe marijuana smoke. I hope my right to breathe fresh air in public places is protected and enforced. James Newman Boston [end]
APRIL 23, 2016 GOVERNOR CHARLIE Baker, Mayor Martin Walsh, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo aligning against the ballot initiative to legalize marijuana ("Key players join forces against marijuana" ) is another instance of politicians refusing, to the bitter end, to acknowledge the utter failure of criminal regulation. Their arguments are absurd and hypocritical. Legalization will not increase teens "access to marijuana, since right now any child can readily obtain the product on the illegal market" a market regulated by gangsters. Marijuana has nothing to do with the opioid epidemic. [continues 106 words]
Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, who would oversee regulation of the state's recreational marijuana industry if voters approve a ballot measure this fall, said Wednesday the Legislature should ban home cultivation and delay retail sales of the drug if the proposal passes. She also wants state lawmakers to restrict marijuana edibles such as candy that can be attractive to children and to give her office money to regulate the new industry in the early going. And though she opposes the ballot effort like many other top state politicians, Goldberg said in an interview that she believes her office needs to be prepared for it. [continues 877 words]
So far, just one major statewide business group, the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, has decided to oppose the measure. Jon Hurst isn't afraid to take a stand. As president of the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, it's his job to fight for the interests of the 4,000 businesses he represents. But when it comes to legalizing marijuana, he's torn - as are many leaders of Boston-area business groups. "How can you separate your own personal feelings and experiences from the economic and political concerns?" Hurst said, acknowledging that he indulged a few times as a college student in the 1970s. "It's unlike anything I've dealt with in 25 years in this business." [continues 1112 words]
BOSTON (AP) - A group supporting legalized use of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts said Friday that Gov. Charlie Baker and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh are being hypocritical by supporting more liquor licenses while opposing the pot initiative. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol leveled the charge one day after Baker, Walsh and other top officials announced formation of a committee to fight a likely November ballot question that would allow Massachusetts residents 21 and older to possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana. [continues 253 words]
NEW YORK - Howard Marks, an Oxford-educated drug trafficker who at his peak in the 1970s controlled a substantial fraction of the world's hashish and marijuana trade, and who became a best-selling author after his release from a US prison, died Sunday. He was 70. His death, from colorectal cancer, which he disclosed last year, was confirmed by Robin Harvie, publisher for nonfiction at Pan Macmillan, which released Mr. Marks's final book, "Mr. Smiley: My Last Pill and Testament," in September. No other details were provided. [continues 719 words]
Mayor: Pro-Marijuana People Must Explain Its Importance Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh responded to criticism from a pro-marijuana legalization group that called him a "hypocrite" for opposing pot legalization while supporting measures they say promote easier access to alcohol - such as keeping bars open later and granting more liquor licenses - by challenging the group to make its case for legalization. "I am not going to get into name calling, they can call me whatever they want," Walsh said. "What I would like to ask them to do ... is to explain to the people of Massachusetts why it's important to legalize marijuana. I think that would be a good start for the campaign." [continues 240 words]
Pot advocates have apparently decided that they can insult their way to victory in November. And so they choose One Boston Day - a day aimed at encouraging random acts of kindness, a day when Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Marty Walsh would be laying wreaths in memory of the Boston Marathon bombing victims - to insult and disparage both men. Leaders of the marijuana campaign gathered in front of the State House with a poster of Walsh and Baker and a cartoon bubble saying, "Our health policy: Drink more alcohol!" [continues 108 words]
Regarding your editorial, "Bringing textiles, old and new, to Massachusetts" (April 5), I write to point out, legislatures and bureaucrats may define hemp as cannabis having only trace amounts of THC, but nature does not. A plant that produces trace amounts of THC crossed with a plant that produces enough THC to be entheogenic produces viable offspring, because they are the same species, cannabis. In his book, Home Grown: Marijuana and the Origins of Mexico's War on Drugs, Isaac Campos notes that sixteenth and seventeenth century cannabis brought to the new world by the Spanish "found its way into local medical-religious practice." Its genetics must have been programmed to produce enough THC to be entheogenic. Due to reefer madness plant scientists are unable to grow test plots to determine if cannabis programmed to produce more than trace amounts produce more or better fiber, hurd and seed. Georgetown, Mass. [end]
Inside Massachusetts
