Massachusetts
Who is behind the $1.5M spent to abolish legal weed sales in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts voters could face a decision this November over whether to abolish legal cannabis sales in the commonwealth. And if they do, voters can look to an out-of-state group as a primary reason why.
A national interest group based outside Washington, D.C., donated all of the $1.55 million raised last year by the Massachusetts campaign committee seeking to ban marijuana sales and reverse the 2016 ballot initiative for legalization, according to campaign finance records released last week.
The group, Smart Approaches to Marijuana, or SAM, is a leader of the anti-legalization movement and an active player in cannabis ballot initiatives in other states.
SAM has opposed legalization efforts in recent years in at least Arizona, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey and Ohio.
The organization had already declared its support for the 2026 ballot initiative in Massachusetts, which would repeal the state law that legalized marijuana sales in 2016 and established regulations and taxes for recreational pot.
SAM opposed President Donald Trump’s executive order in December to push forward the federal reclassification of marijuana as a less dangerous drug.
Kevin Sabet, SAM’s president and CEO, responded by announcing “multi-million dollar support” for the ballot measure campaign in Massachusetts and a similar initiative in Maine.
“You could already feel the quality of life strain across our country, as it is,” he said, explaining his opposition to the proliferation of legal marijuana. “Walk a busy corridor in virtually every major city and the influence and the smell of marijuana is inescapable.”
While attempts to legalize marijuana have failed in some states, no state has passed a law allowing marijuana sales only to later roll it back, according to MJBizDaily, a cannabis industry publication.
While the proposed ballot measure in Massachusetts would eliminate recreational marijuana sales, it would keep the state’s medical marijuana law in place. Recreational pot shops would be able to apply for licenses to become medical dispensaries.
The petition’s backers have said they are focused on eliminating recreational cannabis sales, not on targeting members of the public for simple marijuana possession.
Opponents have said the measure would prevent marijuana from being safely regulated by returning the market to the control of illegal drug organizations.
Campaign finance records show that the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts, the campaign committee backing the ballot question, spent more than 92% of the $1.55 million it received from SAM last year.
The vast majority of its spending went toward signature gathering.
The proposal is not on the November ballot just yet. Its backers gathered more than 78,000 signatures, enough to send the measure to the State Legislature for consideration. If legislators do not act on the petition by May 5, the petitioners will have two months to gather about 12,000 more signatures and land the measure on the ballot.
Opponents of the ballot question had disputed the authenticity of the signatures. In a challenge filed earlier this month, they accused signature gatherers of deceiving the public by obscuring the true purpose of the ballot measure as they sought support.
The Committee to Protect Cannabis Regulation, a group opposing the ballot question, said signature gatherers told voters they were advocating for a petition that would help develop affordable housing, combat fentanyl or fund public parks.
However, the State Ballot Law Commission found Thursday that the committee had not presented sufficient evidence to back its claims.
Massachusetts voters legalized recreational cannabis through a ballot referendum in 2016, which passed with 53% of the vote.
The first pot shops opened in 2018. The industry has since vastly expanded across the state. Hundreds of cannabis businesses are in operation, logging nearly $8.9 billion in cumulative sales, including a record $1.65 billion in 2025, according to state data.
Massachusetts
Gas prices in Massachusetts dip below $4 a gallon for first time in 2 months
Gas prices dipped below $4 a gallon in Massachusetts Thursday for the first time in exactly two months.
According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of regular gas in Massachusetts is now $3.99, down from $4.02 on Wednesday.
That’s the first time the average fell below the $4 mark since April 25.
The national average on Thursday was $3.92 a gallon, AAA said. That average was above $4 for nearly three months before it fell to $3.99 a week ago on June 18.
Gas prices rose sharply after the war between the U.S. and Iran started on February 28.
A spokesperson for GasBuddy, which also tracks fuel price data, said the national average has been dropping for six weeks as the “recent U.S.-Iran framework agreement has helped ease supply fears.”
The company said the national average should keep falling to $3.75 by July 4.
“Six weeks of declines sounds like good news, and in some ways it is, but the context matters,” Patrick De Haan, a petroleum expert at GasBuddy, said in a statement Thursday.
“At roughly $3.75, this would be the second most expensive July 4 ever recorded, roughly 65 cents higher than last year and nearly $1 above where prices started in 2026. The U.S.-Iran agreement gives markets hope, but it’s being tested, and any breakdown in those talks could reverse the recent relief quickly. Drivers should use every tool available to find the lowest prices near them before filling up.”
A year ago at this time, the average price for a gallon of gas in Massachusetts was $3.10, according to AAA.
The all-time high in the state is $5.05 a gallon, set back in June 2022.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts man accused of wanting sex with girl busted in World Cup trafficking operation
A Massachusetts man who allegedly looked to have sex with a 15-year-old girl and bring drugs and alcohol to the meet-up has been arrested during a crackdown on human trafficking amid the World Cup.
Richard Lallier, 34, of Rehoboth, is one of 13 individuals who face exploitation and trafficking charges stemming from an operation that the FBI Boston has partnered on with the Massachusetts State Police and Rhode Island State Police during the global soccer tournament, dubbed “Operation Red Card.”
“Participating agencies emphasized that while major international sporting events bring significant economic and cultural benefits to host communities,” the Rhode Island State Police said in a statement on Tuesday, “they may also create opportunities for traffickers and those who exploit vulnerable populations.”
“Law enforcement agencies throughout the region remain committed to proactive enforcement efforts designed to deter human trafficking, identify victims, and hold offenders accountable,” the State Police added.
The Rhode Island State Police arrested six individuals, including Lallier, while the Massachusetts State Police apprehended seven suspects during a five-day operation between June 12 and 16.
The suspects arrested in Massachusetts range in age between 21 and 71, all of whom have been arraigned on state charges of sex for a fee with a child under 18, enticement of a child under 16, and attempted rape of a child.
In Rhode Island, Lallier, with a last known address in Rehoboth, is being held without bail on charges of attempted enticement, attempted interstate travel for sexual contact with a minor under 16 years old, and attempted transmission of obscene material to a minor.
Lindsay Laurie, a Rhode Island state trooper who went undercover to operate a Facebook profile that featured “age-regressed images” of herself, said in an affidavit that she informed Lallier via Messenger that he was speaking to a 15-year-old.
In response, Lallier, who went by the name of “Frank Land” on Facebook, allegedly said he was 34 years old before he asked for a “naughty video.”
Lallier also allegedly “sent multiple videos of his penis” to the undercover profile.
Two days later, last Wednesday, Lallier messaged the undercover profile again, explaining that he wanted to find “snow,” a “code word for cocaine,” Laurie stated. Lallier said he would “bring weed and fireball” to a meetup.
Last Friday, after Lallier confirmed to the undercover profile that he arrived in Rhode Island’s Lincoln Woods State Park, authorities arrested him, according to Laurie’s affidavit.
Major international events, such as the World Cup, lead to “large-scale travel” and “increased demand for lodging,” creating “opportunities for criminal exploitation,” according to Michael Soper, the program director of Boston Hotel Watch, an intelligence network connecting hotels and law enforcement.
Soper pointed to the “rapid expansion of short-term rental platforms” in creating a “significant and evolving challenge” to prevent human trafficking since the accommodations often have “less oversight, fewer standardized security protocols, and limited participation in established reporting networks.”
“As a result,” Soper said in a statement shared with the Herald, “illicit activity may occur outside the visibility of hospitality professionals and law enforcement partnerships, making the full scope of the problem difficult to measure.”
Massachusetts
Arlington Nonprofit Receives Statewide Grant Funding
“We are proud to support this remarkable group of nonprofit organizations and the essential work they do across Massachusetts,” Sincere Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Reiner said in a statement. “Their collective impact strengthens communities throughout the Commonwealth and we are honored to help advance their efforts.”
According to the foundation, grant recipients were selected across three focus areas: food security, housing stability, and safe spaces. Organizations receiving support in the food security category alongside Food Link include The Open Door in Gloucester, Worcester County Food Bank, Food For Free, and other nonprofits working to increase access to nutritious food.
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