New England Public Radio

Top Mass. Marijuana Regulator Looks To Raise Taxes, Slow Down Timeline For Retail

On Tuesday, Massachusetts voters approved a ballot question to legalize the use of recreational marijuana. The measure charges the state treasurer’s office with creating the Cannabis Control Commission to oversee the new industry.

For more, we spoke to Treasurer Deb Goldberg. She opposed the ballot question, but has a lot of work ahead to implement it. The measure makes some changes to law starting December 15th, so we asked Goldberg what will change on that date.

Click the audio player above to hear Henry Epp’s conversation with Goldberg about the future of recreational marijuana in Massachusetts.

Election 2016 Debate: Should Massachusetts Legalize Recreational Marijuana?

As we approach the November 8th elections, we’re hosting a series of short debates on the four ballot questions facing Massachusetts voters this year.

Our first debate is on Question 4, which would legalize the use and distribution of recreational marijuana by people over 21 years old.

Representing the proponents of the question: Northampton, Mass. attorney Michael Cutler. He is a member of the group Yes On 4 and helped draft the measure. On the opposition side: state Representative Hannah Kane, a Republican from Shrewsbury. She is a steering committee member of the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy Massachusetts.

Listen to the debate, moderated by New England Public Radio’s Henry Epp, by clicking the audio player above.

Proposed Ballot Measure Would Raise Taxes On Millionaires

Proposals for the 2016 Massachusetts ballot are due Wednesday. Among those being submitted is one that would attempt to create a graduated income tax, an idea that state voters have rejected several times.

The proposal would raise the tax rate by four percentage points for personal income above a million dollars.

A coalition of union and community groups pushing for the change says it would bring in needed money for education and transportation. Former Northampton Mayor Clare Higgins is backing the measure. She argues Massachusetts has lower income taxes than many other states.

“We’re not this ‘taxachusetts’ of the past,” Higgins says. “What we do have is a system that treats different groups of taxpayers unequally, and this ballot question will help level that playing field.”

The proposal is now before the state’s Attorney General who will decide next month whether it can move forward. Because the measure would amend the state constitution, the earliest it could be on the ballot is 2018.

Correction: An earlier version of this story said the ballot question would increase taxes by four percent for people who make more than a million dollars a year. In fact, the proposal would increase the tax rate by four percentage points. The higher rate would not apply to the first $1 million in income.

Sponsors of Mass. Ballot Petitions Face First Deadline This Week

In Massachusetts, sponsors of potential ballot questions for 2016 face a deadline this week: the language for their proposals must be submitted to the state by Wednesday. Several groups had planned to put questions relating to the Boston Olympics bid on the ballot. That bid died last week, but State House News Service reporter Matt Murphy says there are plenty of non-Olympics issues that could make the ballot.

“We’re looking at everything from petitions to legalize marijuana in Massachusetts, to other questions about increasing charter school seats in the state, maybe a referendum on whether or not the state should participate in Common Core,” says Murphy.

Other possible initiatives include public records reform, and a proposal to raise taxes on residents who earn more than a million dollars a year. After this week’s deadline, Attorney General Maura Healey must decide which proposals can move forward.

State House News Service contributed to this report.

Correction: an earlier version of this story stated the ballot petition deadline is this Thursday. The deadline is Wednesday.

MA Gov. Deval Patrick Attends UMass Basketball Game, Talks Legislative Session, Budget Cuts

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick attended today’s UMass Amherst men’s basketball season opener against Harvard at the Mullins Center. At the game, New England Public Radio’s Henry Epp asked Patrick for details about the upcoming legislative session, and potential tax shortfalls in the state. 

Governor Patrick says he has a growth strategy to spur economic development when the legislature reconvenes in January.

“It’s based in, on investing in education, in innovation, and in infrastructure. That’s a winning strategy, we want to keep that going, and accelerate it if we can, and we’ll be asking the legislature for some additional tools to help us do that.”

Patrick declined to give further details about what those tools will look like, but says he’s grateful for the legislature’s cooperation in past sessions. However the governor acknowledged that some state programs could face mid-year budget cuts. According to the department of revenue, tax collections for the first four months of the current fiscal year are over a quarter billion dollars lower than projected. Governor Patrick says that’s due to a sluggish national economy, but he says he expects the economy, and state revenues, to pick up soon.

“With the expected resolution on the fiscal cliff, I think the whole economy will start to move faster, and grow faster. But in the short run it may mean we have to do some mid-year budget changes and adjustments.”

Patrick says its too soon to say where budget adjustments could come from, but he says all state agencies are preparing to deal with potential cuts.

After Governor Patrick left the game, the UMass Minutemen beat the Harvard Crimson 67-64 on a three point shot in the game’s final seconds. 

Mass. Lawmakers Consider Legalizing, Taxing Pot

Massachusetts lawmakers held a public hearing today on a bill to legalize marijuana. The bill would allow Massachusetts to legalize, regulate and tax marijuana as it currently does liquor and tobacco.  

Democratic Representative Ellen Story of Amherst, the sponsor of the bill, says the measure would benefit public health and the state’s pocketbook.  

“One is that this is in the interest of public health so that if marijuana is regulated, you know what you are buying.  And the other is the state needs more money.  This would allow the state to benefit from the sale of marijuana by taxing it.”     

Her testimony earned some scattered applause from the packed hearing room. But Kevin Sabet , of the advocacy group The Massachusetts Prevention Alliance, says marijuana is dangerous, especially for teens, and should not be legalized.

“Today’s  marijuana is not your grandfather’s pot.  This is the marijuana that is much more harmful.  It’s grown purposefully to enhance the THC which creates the high in the drug and therefore we’re seeing increases in emergency room admissions, increases in mental health issues – especially schizophrenia, increases in driving accidents…”

Despite a huge public turnout in support of the bill, observers say the measure probably won’t pass. But there will likely be a separate ballot measure in the fall that will ask voters to legalize medical marijuana. In 2008, voters changed the law so those caught with small amount of marijuana would only face a fine and not criminal charges.