Drug Addiction

House revamps voter-approved pot law

House revamps voter-approved pot law

Ups tax rate, addiction funding and steers jobs to minority community

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER SEVERAL YEARS of ceding marijuana policy-making to a voting public eager to adopt a more permissive approach to the once completely illegal drug, House lawmakers on Wednesday took the reins of the sticky issue, passing a bill to overhaul how the state will regulate the retail market of the intoxicant.(...)

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Cusack denies retaliation over Lottery move

Cusack denies retaliation over Lottery move

House to vote on pot bill that sets tax rate to 28%

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THE HOUSE CHAIR of the Legislature’s marijuana committee denied that his ire at State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg over a potential Lottery headquarters move out of his hometown was connected to his push to remove control of the impending marijuana industry from her office. “It’s not about any one person, but it’s the simple premise that(...)

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House reneged on pot agreement, say sources

House reneged on pot agreement, say sources

Officials say chair irked over Lottery move

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HOUSE LEADERS ABRUPTLY walked away from an agreement between Gov. Charlie Baker, Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Senate President Stan Rosenberg that would have kept oversight of the emerging legal pot industry with the state treasurer and sources indicated it may be connected to anger from the House chair of the marijuana committee over a potential(...)

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House has to backtrack on pot bill

House has to backtrack on pot bill

Legislation raising marijuana tax to astronomical levels raises concerns

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HOUSE LEADERS DECIDED to pull back and revamp their rewrite of a voter-approved ballot question legalizing marijuana after concerns were raised that their bill would give Massachusetts the highest tax rate on recreational pot in the country – as much as 55 percent or more by some calculations. The bill approved on Wednesday by the Joint(...)

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House guts voter-approved pot law

House guts voter-approved pot law

Measure overhauls key pieces from tax rate to oversight

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THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE will unveil a measure Wednesday that completely overhauls the voter-approved referendum legalizing recreational marijuana while also moving oversight of medical marijuana under the same regulatory umbrella. About the only thing the 48-page bill, a copy of which was obtained by CommonWealth,  leaves in place from the question put before voters last November(...)

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Sources: Higher tax, new opt-out in pot bill

Sources: Higher tax, new opt-out in pot bill

House measure would keep treasurer in charge but expand oversight board

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE RETAIL MARIJUANA SALES would be taxed at a maximum rate of 18.75 percent under legislation being developed by the House in preparation for a Thursday vote that would also alter the oversight and local control of an industry legalized by voters last November, according to sources within the Legislature or close(...)

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House to roll out rewrite of legal pot bill

House to roll out rewrite of legal pot bill

Reps set to vote on changing ballot question on Thursday; Senate plans unclear

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE LEADERSHIP WILL unveil its proposal to overhaul the voter-backed law legalizing marijuana in Massachusetts on Wednesday, setting up an expected debate and vote before the full membership on Thursday. The bill’s details have been held tightly by those writing the legislation, but it is widely expected to address the tax(...)

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Feds crack down on Lawrence drug network

Feds crack down on Lawrence drug network

34 arrested, and at least 10 were in the country illegally

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STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THIRTY PEOPLE WERE ARRESTED Tuesday on gun, drug, and immigration charges in a sweep that brought down a Lawrence-based network that Acting US Attorney William Weinreb described as “one of the largest fentanyl trafficking organizations ever seen in Massachusetts.” Approximately 250 law enforcement officers were involved in the sweep, seizing several(...)

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Amgen offering money-back guarantee

Amgen offering money-back guarantee

Harvard Pilgrim pays for high-cost cholesterol drug’s performance

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Amgen, a California-based biopharmaceutical company, is offering a money-back guarantee to Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and any of its members who use the company’s expensive cholesterol-lowering drug Repatha and fail to obtain the desired results. According to Harvard Pilgrim, Amgen will offer a full refund on the price of the drug and any copayments if(...)

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Pot panel looks to let ex-cons in

Pot panel looks to let ex-cons in

Lawmakers open to allowing nonviolent drug offenders sell and grow legal marijuana

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THE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE shaping the state’s new marijuana law wrapped up its final session of hearings Monday with an impassioned plea from a convicted drug felon to change the laws to allow him to grow and distribute marijuana to legal sellers. “What I did was a mistake,” said Sean Berte of Boston, who said he(...)

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