Keller @ Large: State Treasurer Deb Goldberg Talks Marijuana Regulation
BOSTON (CBS) -- The State Treasurer's Office is at the center of some of the biggest issues going in Massachusetts.
State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg sat down with WBZ political analyst Jon Keller to discuss several of those issues--including the Commonwealth's efforts at recreational marijuana regulation.
Goldberg said that, despite legislative delays, she doesn't believe the state has missed the boat on recreational pot.
"Regardless of whether it takes six months or a year to get up and running, it's a healthy tax rate, and we don't have the competition yet across the borders," Goldberg said. "And I do believe that the movement toward recreational marijuana is going to continue throughout the whole country. So, it will ultimately evolve long-term, similarly to alcohol, which was, in prohibition, illegal, and then became legal and became a huge industry."
She said she's not surprised about the many cities and towns turning down recreational pot shops.
"I live in the town of Brookline, and I saw what happened when a medical marijuana facility was looking to open up in our town," Goldberg said. "It became very controversial, and they had to do a lot of work locally in order to get this done. So if it's true for medical, you can imagine how each community is going to react about recreational."
Keller and Goldberg also discussed the state of casinos in Massachusetts, as well as the state's unclaimed money list.
You can listen to Keller At Large on WBZ News Radio every weekday at 7:55 a.m. You can also watch Jon on WBZ-TV News.
