When President Trump took the stage in New Hampshire on Monday and delivered a fiery speech about how the White House plans to tackle the nationwide opioid problem, he leaned heavily on the idea that the Massachusetts city of Lawrence was largely to blame for the scourge of addiction in the Granite State. Citing a 2017 study by researchers at Dartmouth College's Geisel School of Medicine, the president said the "sanctuary city" of Lawrence, a community that restricts its cooperation with federal immigration officials, is one of "the primary sources of fentanyl in six New Hampshire counties." [continues 502 words]
Police in Hingham are investigating after a student at the South Shore Educational Collaborative School allegedly supplied classmates with cookies that were laced with marijuana, officials said Monday. According to a public notice posted to the department's website, police were called to the school Thursday, after the student, who wasn't named in the report, had distributed the cookies to at least five other people. Police said the students who ate the cookies, who were between the ages of 16 and 17, were "evaluated by a school nurse who believed the students were under the influence of marijuana." [continues 262 words]
Beantown Greentown is trying to build a 100-foot-long joint this weekend at a marijuana expo event in Worcester. This is a practice run. Keith Laham and his friends have been practicing for the past few months. They have gathered in his cellar, in other people's cellars - you name it, the 42-year-old West Roxbury native said. But this weekend will mark the true attempt, and Laham, cofounder of Beantown Greentown, a medical marijuana advocacy group, lifestyle brand, and cannabis club, has high ambitions for it. [continues 627 words]
Giving away -- or "gifting"-- up to one ounce of marijuana is now legal in Massachusetts, but are some people pushing the new law too far? Days after Governor Charlie Baker signed a measure delaying the opening of recreational marijuana retail shops statewide by six months, a budding entrepreneur took to Craigslist to offer people a backdoor approach to getting their hands on some pot - one that authorities say would violate the new law. In an ad posted to the website titled "Bud, weed, marijuana, cannabis," a person who identified himself as "Corey" listed for sale empty plastic bags ranging in price from $20 to $325. Depending on which bag is purchased, the seller promised to include a "gift" of marijuana inside. [continues 416 words]
Gloucester Police Chief Urges Dialogue With Pharmaceutical Executives Gloucester police, taking an unconventional approach to fighting the state's opioid epidemic, are imploring people to contact chief executives at five pharmaceutical companies and ask what they're doing to curb the drug scourge. In a Facebook post this week that was shared more than 500 times, Police Chief Leonard Campanello listed names and contact information for the leaders at Abbott Laboratories, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly and Co., and Merck & Co. [continues 620 words]
Newton - State Sen. Cynthia Creem said she supports "the concept" of legalizing marijuana, provided more questions about revenue and regulation could be answered. Voters in Creem's district can cast votes in a nonbinding ballot question on Election Day asking if Creem should vote in favor of "legislation that would allow the state to regulate the taxation, cultivation and sale of marijuana to adults." "My position would be to see where my constituents were [with the issue]," said Creem. "I would hope that people would appreciate that there are more questions that go with it." [continues 699 words]
Last week, Massachusetts spoke and voted in favor of Question 2, which replaces criminal penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana with a civil penalty of a $100 fine and or for juveniles, mandatory attendance of a substance abuse class. Communities all over the South Shore backed the measure, with Pembroke voting Yes with 6,003 votes to 3,454 No votes. In Halifax the number reflected the same opinion with a count of 2,532 in favor and 1,408 voters against the question, and in Plympton, the hand-counted ballots turned out 1,090 to 600 in favor of the question. [continues 628 words]
