Poll: 62 Percent of Mass. Firms Oppose Ballot Measure Employers are sounding the alarm about a proposed November state ballot question that calls for legalization and regulation of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts, coming out heavily against it in a newly released survey. Of 180 Bay State employers who responded to the survey question posed by Associated Industries of Massachusetts - the state's largest employer group - 62 percent opposed the ballot measure. Thirty-eight percent said they're in favor. The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol's referendum will be on the Nov. 1 statewide ballot and is widely expected to pass - prompting the state Senate to prepare to draft regulations in advance. The measure would legalize marijuana for adults 21 years and older, and license, regulate and tax its production and distribution in a manner similar to alcohol. [continues 179 words]
Comcast Says No to Marijuana Commercial The first medical marijuana commercial slated to run on television in Massachusetts next month has vaporized - at least when it comes to airing through Comcast. The ad failed to make its debut this past week in New Jersey because Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast, rejected the ad as unsuitable. "All commercials are subject to final review by Comcast Spotlight prior to airing and during that process it was determined that the spot did not meet our guidelines," Comcast spokesman Steven Restivo said yesterday. [continues 301 words]
Massachusetts viewers soon will get a hit of what's expected to be the Northeast's first marijuana-related commercial on major networks. New York-based Medical Cannabis Network has booked April airtime to advertise marijuanadoctors.com, which pairs patients with doctors who'll evaluate whether medical marijuana should be used as treatment for their serious illness or chronic pain, said founder Jason Draizin. "We consider this alternative medicine and do not condone the recreational use or marijuana," he said. The ad campaign comes as Massachusetts prepares for the opening of its first medical marijuana dispensaries this summer. [continues 225 words]
The Boston Public Health Commission plans to launch a new pilot program this month to combat what it calls the city's "severe and growing" problem of fatal drug overdoses. The overdose prevention and reversal program would train active opiate drug users - those who inject or use drugs such as heroin, OxyContin and fentanyl - how to counteract what could be fatal overdoses by spraying nasal doses of the prescription drug Narcan. "The increase in the purity levels of heroin and the decrease in prices have led to a larger number of heroin overdoses, both fatal and nonfatal, and a greater number of young people who are experimenting with heroin," said John Auerbach, the commission's executive director. [continues 237 words]
