Keller: 'Making a hash of pot'

We are pleased to share that Brigham and Women's Hospital (with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) and Massachusetts General Hospital are recognized as #1 and #2 in New England in Cancer by U.S. News & World Report. Thank you to all our physicians, nurses and staff at both entities who make a difference in our patients' lives every day.

Back in 2016 it seemed like a straightforward proposition on the ballot – instead of pretending to police the burgeoning market for marijuana, let’s legalize it, regulate it and tax it.

Question Four said nothing about hash. But in classic Massachusetts style, that’s what our political class has made of it.

Users are doing their part. At the end of June, pot sales passed the $8 billion mark, shattering the previous record. By that measure, legal pot is making it in Massachusetts.

But the management and oversight of this new industry has been less impressive. The indictment of Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins on charges of shaking down a pot company executive is just the latest in a string of high-profile cannabis-related corruption cases, including the conviction of Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia II. Just this year the state inspector general hit the Cannabis Control Commission for “an egregious operational breakdown” in its fee collection system. And now an audit of the CCC by Auditor Diana DiZoglio has documented rampant mismanagement along with “the appearance of potential favoritism and/or impropriety.”

Add all this to a years-long saga of political infighting and managerial dysfunction and you have the specter of an important new industry providing a crucial source of revenue being overseen by a grossly incompetent bureaucracy. What’s wrong with this picture?

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10:00 | Franklin County’s legislative delegation and Franklin Regional Council of Governments host a tour for Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Housing Secretary Ed Augustus. The presentation and tour is meant to highlight housing creation challenges in rural communities. | Olver Transit Center, 12 Olive St., Greenfield

12:00 | Martin O'Malley, the former Maryland governor and former Social Security Administration commissioner, joins health care advocates Rita Clagett and Mary Beth Furman for a press call hosted by Defend America Action "to discuss actions the Trump administration has taken to endanger Social Security." | Zoom Registration

12:30 | Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler announce second round of Literacy Launch grant awards, part of Gov. Maura Healey's initiative to boost literacy among those ages 3 to third grade | Easthampton Public School Library Annex, 52 Main St., Easthampton

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Suffolk Sheriff Steve Tompkins, facing federal charges, has an initial appearance and arraignment at the federal courthouse in South Boston on Wednesday at 2:15 p.m. News outlets continued diving into the sheriff’s past records, with the Boston Globe noting that his campaign apparatus relies on his employees for donations. Meanwhile, the Herald has a legal expert who says anyone can file a complaint (for removal or suspension) against the sheriff, not just the state attorney general. – Boston Herald and Boston Globe

HIGH-SPENDING STATIES: The Massachusetts State Police, struggling for years with a tainted reputation due to scandals and an obstinate public relations office, is refusing to offer details about stays at four and five-star hotels in Aruba and Florida. – Boston Herald

MASS. UNEMPLOYMENT: The Massachusetts unemployment rate stayed flat in July, the same 4.8% as June, and above the national rate of 4.2%. – State House News Service

RULING DELIBERATELY: Citing Henry David Thoreau’s writings, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in a legal fight between the town of Concord and abutters over the Eastbrook Trail, siding with the town and finding that the trail is a public walkway. .The abutters had sought to block access to the public. – Concord Bridge

WHISKEY JUDGE: The distillery that makes Uncle Nearest whiskey, owned by Martha’s Vineyard homeowners, must be placed under receivership after a lawsuit from a lender, a federal judge ruled. – Boston Business Journal

HOSPITAL CEOS: The health care sector is seeing strain, but hospital CEOs saw big pay bumps. The CEO of the largest health system and private employer, Anne Klibanski of Mass General Brigham, received $8.4 million in fiscal 2024, up 40% from the previous year. – Boston Business Journal

REP. CLARK ON GAZA: Katherine Clark, a top Democrat in Congress, described what’s happening in Gaza as a “genocide” during a forum last week. – Politico

JUNKED FEES: Massachusetts consumers who hate “junk fees,” also called “administrative fees” and “handling fees,” will rejoice at a new set of regulations coming from the state attorney general’s office. – Boston Globe

CAMBRIDGE CONNECTION: Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials are considering a car-free connection between Boston and Cambridge, going off a proposal from the Museum of Science. – StreetsblogMASS

E-BIKE BOOM: Berkshire police are eyeing the complaints and safety concerns stemming from more people using e-bikes. – Berkshire Eagle

City leaders, including in Boston, want to expand historically black colleges and universities beyond the American South

Appeals court upholds Cambridge cop’s punishment for George Floyd comments

Tiger sharks get their moment in the New England sun

Berkshires farmhouse gets restored to ‘original glory’

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Director of Campaigns, Massachusetts Public Health Alliance

Vice President for Environmental Justice, Conservation Law Foundation

Director of Administration and Finance, Town of Acton

Building Commissioner, Town of Southborough

Websites Project Attorney, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute

Research Director, Boston Municipal Research Bureau

Grant Writer, Barnstable County Sheriff's Office

Vice President for Clean Energy and Climate Change, Conservation Law Foundation

Temporary Family Child Care Organizer, SEIU Local 509

Benefit & Payroll Coordinator, Town of Southborough

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