THE STATE’S TOP elected officials from both sides of the aisle made a powerful political appeal to oppose the ballot question that would legalize the adult use and commercial sale of marijuana: Vote no for the kids. At the William J. Ostiguy Recovery High School in downtown Boston, a facility aimed at students with addiction […]
Drugs
Posted inDrug Addiction, Opinion
Medical marijuana could ease opioid crisis
THE CAMPAIGN TO LEGALIZE MARIJUANA for recreational use in Massachusetts is dominating headlines and polls while drawing some strong opposition from important people. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Attorney General Maura Healey, and Gov. Charlie Baker are all saying the ballot question should not be passed into law. But regardless of where you stand on recreational […]
Posted inDrug Addiction, The Back Story
The gateway debate over marijuana
CHRIS LOWE, A 41-year-old carpenter on Martha’s Vineyard, has smoked pot since his early 20s, both legally and illegally. When he lived in Montana, he had a certificate to grow, sell, and use medical marijuana until the state changed its laws. He says he qualifies for medical marijuana in Massachusetts, but doesn’t bother because the bureaucracy […]
Posted inDrug Addiction, Opinion
What you can do to ease the opioid crisis
BY NOW, EVERYONE has seen or heard about the HBO documentary Heroin: Cape Cod, USA, and most have been bombarded with seemingly daily headlines highlighting the newest statistics or the record of overdoses in a given month. While the range of responses and emotions run high around the topic, the underlying feeling from most is […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Drug Addiction, State House News Service
Deal struck on driver’s licenses for drug offenders
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE GROUP OF lawmakers working since January to reconcile House and Senate versions of a bill to repeal what has been called a remnant of the war on drugs reached an agreement Tuesday, moving the bill closer to the governor’s desk. Under the conference committee report, the bill would end the […]
Posted inDrug Addiction, Politics, State House News Service
Emotional Baker signs opioid legislation
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE An emotional Gov. Charlie Baker fought back tears Monday as he recounted the stories he’s heard from the parents of young people who have died from drug overdoses and letters he received from students at North Shore Recovery High School, detailing their “heartbreaking stories of addiction and loss.” “This is truthfully […]
Posted inDrug Addiction, State House News Service
House passes opioid abuse prevention bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE UNANIMOUSLY PASSED a compromise opioid abuse prevention bill on Wednesday afternoon that was negotiated over the past seven weeks with the Senate. The bill, which included multiple initiatives tied to intervention, treatment, prevention, and education, would limit the size of first-time opioid prescriptions and require schools to screen students […]
Posted inDrug Addiction, State House News Service
Lawmakers hear testimony on pot legalization
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Activists in favor of the legalization of the adult use of marijuana squared off Monday with law enforcement officials and legislators in what one activist called “the eruption, at long last, of the first-ever public debate about marijuana in Massachusetts.” The Joint Committee on the Judiciary heard testimony on the statutory […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Lawmakers not sold on pot
MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS OPPOSED to legalizing marijuana brought in an array of law enforcement officials as well as a buffet of kid-enticing pot products to try to scare the state straight before a ballot question to regulate the weed makes it before voters in November. “This entire Commonwealth has been affected by the opioid addiction crisis,” said […]
Posted inDrug Addiction, Health Care, The Download
New law offers women drug treatment instead of prison
The disgraceful practice of sending women who have been civilly committed for substance abuse disorders to the state prison in Framingham rather than a treatment facility is finally coming to an end. “I’m sorry it took so long to make this happen,” said Gov. Charlie Baker at the State House bill signing on Monday. Civil […]