Indopedia All Things Marijuana
While Massachusetts residents wait for the voter-approved recreational marijuana law to go into effect, the Bay State’s lawmakers have been deadlocked on a plan to tweak the legal weed legislation. But while the state’s house and senate can’t seem to come up with a compromise, Massachusetts’ Speaker of the House Robert DeLeo is urging the squabbling lawmakers to take even more time, and put the cannabis bill on hold, at least until they can sort out the state’s budget.
According to the Associated Press, the state’s annual budget is already late, dictating how dollars will be allocated for a fiscal year that already started on July 1st. For Speaker DeLeo, making sure the budget is finalized far outweighs the importance of solidifying retail weed regulations.
“A key reason for our consistently high bond ratings has been our commitment to balanced, on-time spending plans,” DeLeo said. “In light of Standard & Poor’s recent decision to downgrade Massachusetts’ bond rating, we need now more than ever to get a budget done.” Speaking directly about the perceived link between the budget and cannabis bill, DeLeo added, “tying unrelated negotiations…
