THE AIR FORCE’S suspension of intelligence activity performed at Joint Base Cape Cod eliminates the primary service mission of the base. The leak of sensitive intelligence from a service member is a national security disaster that has raised many questions that can only be answered within and by the Department of Defense. It does, however, […]
Drugs
Posted inOpinion
I saw parallels to Clancy case as a juvenile court judge
THE TRAGIC DEATH of the beautiful Clancy children may portend a long overdue indictment of the cavalier use of powerful psychotropic medications over non-pharmacological methods of treatment for those suffering from mental illness. For decades in Massachusetts, the reckless indifference of prescribing psychiatrists and other providers has caused lasting and harmful consequences for so many […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Opioid overdose deaths leveling off, but at high level
AFTER A SHARP SPIKE in opioid-related overdose deaths during the COVID pandemic, the numbers appear to be leveling off this year, but they still remain higher than before COVID hit, according to new data from the Department of Public Health. Gov. Charlie Baker, in a statement, noted that since taking office in 2015, he has […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Innovative court program helps people navigate addiction services
CAPE COD DEFENSE attorney Susan Wenzel had a client with mental health and substance use issues who needed help handling both problems and had no health insurance. His criminal case was still in progress, so he had no access to court-ordered therapy. Wenzel called Rick Palingo, a recovery support navigator who works in Barnstable area […]
Posted inDrugs, Marijuana, Politics
Healey says her prior cannabis concerns may have been ‘unnecessary’
IT WAS NOVEMBER 2016, days before Massachusetts voters would legalize recreational marijuana. Attorney General Maura Healey stood in front of the State House at a rally with health care professionals and warned of dangerous outcomes should marijuana be legalized. Ballot question opponents voiced concerns that marijuana-infused edibles could be accidentally eaten by children and that […]
Posted inCourts, Drugs, Guns, Marijuana, State Government
Here’s what passed in marathon all-night legislative session
IN A MARATHON all night session, the Massachusetts Legislature finally finished many of their key priorities of the 2021-2022 legislative session, even as one key priority – tax reform – remained undone. They passed bills on equity in the cannabis industry, legalizing sports betting, and tightening gun licensing laws in the wake of a Supreme […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Opioid overdose deaths up by 9 percent last year
THE NUMBER OF OPIOID overdose deaths in Massachusetts rose by 9 percent in 2021, a worrying number in a state that had started seeing some success in addressing the opioid epidemic when COVID-19 hit and reversed that progress. “These are sobering and devastating statistics,” said Deirdre Calvert, director of the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services […]
Posted inDrugs, Marijuana, Opinion
Time to end ‘negative impact’ fees for minority cannabis businesses
THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY continues to boom in Massachusetts – for some. On 4/20, the unofficial “high holiday” for the industry, sales records were shattered when consumers purchased a record-breaking $6 million worth of products from roughly 215 recreational pot shops in the state, according to the Cannabis Control Commission. But out of all the licenses […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Meth use poses rising threat in Massachusetts
THE SCOURGE of opioid addiction has made headlines for years, as state policymakers aim to reduce the epidemic of overdose deaths. Less noticed – but still highly dangerous – is the growing use of stimulant drugs, like cocaine and methamphetamines. “We’ve been seeing that stimulant use, especially stimulant involvement in overdose deaths, has increased dramatically […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
Child Advocate says ‘system failed’ Harmony Montgomery
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES and the court system valued the rights of Harmony Montgomery’s parents more than Harmony’s wellbeing, according to a damning 101-page report issued Wednesday by the state Child Advocate Maria Mossaides. Harmony, a young girl who last lived with her father in New Hampshire, has been missing since 2019. Her […]