At Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute, we’re ensuring the best quality of care for every one of our patients, from Boston to Northampton. Mobile van services and community partnerships are helping our experts reach people who might otherwise face barriers to preventive care. Learn more.
When it comes to politics, 2016 was a long time ago. So long that some of the initial opposition to legal cannabis in Massachusetts has since gone up in smoke.
When Bay Staters voted 10 years ago to legalize, tax and regulate adult-use marijuana, they overruled political power players (Gov. Charlie Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and House Speaker Robert DeLeo led the anti-legalization campaign) and influential organizations who said it was a bad idea.
With a repeal question on this year’s ballot, at least a couple of the groups that urged against standing up a marijuana industry in Massachusetts now want to keep it around.
The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce last week endorsed the No on 8 campaign that’s working to block the repeal, citing the tax and economic benefits of a legal market. The group opposed legalization in 2016, and the Telegram & Gazette reported at the time that its member businesses were concerned about the possibility of on-the-job marijuana consumption and other employer impacts.
"With the way it's been implemented in Worcester in particular, we were wrong, and perhaps those fears were unfounded," Worcester Chamber President and CEO Tim Murray told MASSterList.
Murray said it was fair to raise questions about public safety 10 years ago, but those concerns have since been addressed, crediting Worcester officials for laying out "robust criteria" for pot shops seeking to open up. Having the Cannabis Control Commission offices located in Worcester has been a plus for the city, too, he said.
The Worcester Chamber isn’t the only group to shift its stance over time. The Retailers Association of Massachusetts, which in 2016 called legalization “the wrong path for businesses and our communities,” gave the No on 8 campaign $100,000 this past July.
Stop the Repeal Chairperson Ryan Dominguez said dynamics have changed in the past decade as people have seen what legal cannabis in Massachusetts actually looks like.
“As we have built out this coalition, we’re starting to see a lot of folks from 2016 who may not always seem like maybe the allies that would have come out for this,” Dominguez said. “We’re starting to see public health officials, law enforcement, unions and labor coming out and supporting our initiative, and I think you’ll start seeing some more of those.”
Marijuana legalization was one of four ballot questions in 2016, alongside initiatives on charter schools, farm animal welfare standards and a potential new slots parlor. Has your stance on any of those changed since? Fill me in on your thinking: [email protected].
MA voters support stronger AI safety: AI safety requires transparency and accountability. A new poll shows that 75% of Massachusetts voters support requiring the largest AI companies to publish safety plans, report serious incidents, and face penalties for non-compliance. See the poll.
HAPPENING TODAY
8:15 | Salem and the Preservation in a Changing Climate Committee hold the sixth annual Preservation in a Changing Climate Conference | Peabody Essex Museum's Morse Auditorium, 16 Essex St., Salem | More Info and Registration
9:00 | City of Boston hosts the Annual National Urban Rat Summit, "bringing together leading experts, academics, researchers, public health professionals, and municipal officials from across the country and the world to advance innovative, data-driven approaches to urban rodent management" | Winter Chambers, 26 Court St., Downtown Boston
9:00 | Boston Mayor Wu participates in a fireside chat with Ambassador Eric Garcetti hosted by Climate Mayors | Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute at Hunter College, 47-49 E 65th St, New York
11:00 | Fiscal Alliance Foundation holds virtual press conference to discuss its study examining the potential impact of Project Beacon on Massachusetts energy costs. The study was conducted by Always On Energy Research and estimates that the proposed expansion of natural gas pipeline capacity could save Massachusetts ratepayers hundreds of millions of dollars every winter, according to the foundation | Media should RSVP to Paul Gangi at [email protected] to receive the Zoom link.
11:00 | Rep. Jeffrey Turco sponsors Cultural Diversity Day | Great Hall and Grand Staircase
11:00 | Conference committee resolving bills that aim to prevent violence against healthcare workers meets for the second time | Room 348
12:00 | Treasurer Goldberg visits the Mass. State Exposition Building at the Big E, including stops at the Massachusetts State Lottery booth and the Massachusetts Unclaimed Property booth | 1305 Memorial Ave., West Springfield
1:00 | Department of Transportation Board meets | Transportation Building, 2nd Floor, 10 Park Plaza, Boston | Livestream
1:00 | Mass. Water Resources Authority Board meets, with an update scheduled from the preliminary screening committee conducting the search for a new executive director | Favaloro Meeting Room, Deer Island Reception/Training Building, 33 Tafts Ave., Boston | More Info | Virtual Access
1:00 | Massachusetts Coalition for Affordable Energy, led by 350 Mass and Elders Climate Action, will rally and urge legislators to produce an energy bill "that protects Mass Save and Alternative Compliance Payment (ACP) funding, and phases out GSEP," the Gas System Enhancement Program | State House
4:50 | Boston Mayor Wu delivers remarks at the United Nations High-level Event on Climate Action and the Just Transition, hosted by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres | United Nations Headquarters, 405 E 45th St, New York | Livestream
6:00 | MassDOT holds a design public hearing to discuss a proposed project to bolster traffic safety and make pedestrian improvements to encourage safe walking and biking for students at William E. Norris School | 34 Pomeroy Meadow Road, Southampton | More Info
JOB BOARD
Lead Organizer / Civic Engagement Coordinator — NEW, Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants
Deputy General Counsel — NEW, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
Vice President of Membership and Engagement, Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers
Staff Attorney, Disability Law Center
Chief Financial Officer, Boston Public Health Commission
Financial Investigations Manager, Mass Gaming Commission
Deputy General Counsel and Clerk of the Commission, Civil Service Commission
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The Massachusetts nonprofit sector is composed of a wide variety of subsectors, from education and health to human rights & services, arts & culture, philanthropy, and more. With many of these nonprofits now struggling in the face of federal threats, it’s more critical than ever to support these organizations whose work touches every resident of the Commonwealth. Learn more.
ON BEACON HILL
PUMPED UP: Gov. Healey says she'll file a bill proposing a two-month gas tax holiday, embracing a concept she once criticized. The governor says times have changed, pointing to the war in Iran. Her GOP challenger, Mike Minogue, has been calling for gas tax relief. | WHDH
TRYING NOT TO BURST THE BUBBLE: U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan and state Sen. Barry Finegold are each pushing to put up guardrails around AI, and Finegold says Massachusetts can "walk and chew gum" by ensuring safety while also building up Massachusetts as a leader in the industry. | MassLive
FULL STEAM AHEAD: The MBTA is seeking proposals to build its shuttle pool, expecting to spend about $5 million per month from April 2027 to March 2029 for buses to cover subway and commuter rail disruptions as maintenance work continues. State House News Service (gift link)
REVENUE REVIEW: The Pioneer Institute asked the Revenue Committee to hold an oversight hearing examining the city of Boston's assessment practices and the response from Department of Revenue Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder. Pioneer, whose legal arm is suing Boston, has been trying to get Snyder to probe what it describes as evidence that the city raised commercial property tax assessments after owners filed appeals. | Boston Herald
NEWS NEXT DOOR
ICE SURGE: At least 19 people have been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in New Bedford and Dartmouth so far this week, including in incidents caught on video and witnessed by reporters. Gov. Healey called for ICE to provide information about its actions, New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called the arrests an overreach and advocates said they expect the surge to continue. | New Bedford Light
TESTING 1-2-3: Forty percent of students in third through eighth grade met or exceeded standards on the 2026 MCAS in English language arts, and 41% in math. Tenth grade scores on the standardized test, no longer a graduation requirement, are down from last year but a state education official says it's not from lack of motivation. | WBUR
METCO'S ICE AGE: The Metco program, now 60 years old, is now frozen in time in some ways, with no new suburbs added in decades. Experts and families say it's been a success and some want it to be expanded. | Boston Globe
CHIEFLY FOCUSED: Worcester City Councilor Kathleen Toomey apologized for asking responding officers to call the city's police chief after a Sept. 2 crash where she sideswiped a parked car, saying her actions created an appearance she was seeking special treatment. | Telegram & Gazette
Massachusetts is a national leader in healthcare, but soaring costs are putting immense pressure on families, employers, and providers. With spending outpacing the state’s cost-growth benchmark, how can we realistically contain costs while maintaining high-quality care? Join MASSterList and key healthcare leaders on Thursday, October 8, for an urgent, data-driven conversation about the forces driving healthcare costs on Beacon Hill and the critical policy choices facing the Commonwealth. Register.
MORE HEADLINES
JOB BOARD
Behavioral Health Coordinator, For Kids Only Afterschool
Assistant Secretary / MEPA Director, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Director, Finance & Accounting, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod
Director of Grants Development, Boston Public Health Commission
Chief Procurement Officer, Barnstable County
Deputy Comptroller, City of Newton
Associate General Counsel-MRSB, Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General
Utilities Program Manager, MassDevelopment
Climate Action Coordinator, City of Newton
Project Manager, District Services, Longwood Collective
Chief Financial Officer, Bristol County Sheriff's Office
Housing and Human Services Policy Analyst, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center
Government and Community Affairs Division Chief, Mass Gaming Commission
Senior Legal Counsel, Office of the Child Advocate
Marketing and Communications Manager, St. Francis House
