... Sen. Spilka's leadership team: Creem, Brownsberger, Chandler, Lovely, Barrett, DiDomenico, Rush, Cyr ...... Sen. Michael Rodrigues of Westport tapped by Spilka to chair Ways and Means Committee ...... Lewis takes over for Chang-Diaz as Education Committee chair, with issue at top of early 2019 agenda ...... Sen. Friedman takes leadership of Health Care Financing as lawmakers revisit major health care bill ...... Lynn Democrat Sen. Brendan Crighton to chair Housing Committee as lawmakers explore production bill options ...... Chang-Diaz takes over Marijuana Policy Committee chair from Sen. Jehlen ...... First-term Sens. Comerford to chair Public Health, Rausch Municipalities, and Kennedy Tourism Committee ...... Sen. Eric Lesser takes over Ethics Committee, which Rodrigues chaired last session ...... Brownsberger to chair Redistricting Committee as state prepares for decennial census ...... Baker visiting family in Florida for rest of week ...... Report: cost of traffic congestion, in hours and $$$, higher in Boston than any other city ...... Gas prices fall to 18-month low as MBTA considers hitting riders with another round of fare hikes ...... Business confidence in Massachusetts slips to lowest level since October 2016 ...... Baker ending February with trip to NGA winter meetings, address to Boston Chamber of Commerce ...... Mass. Lottery poised to open new headquarters in Dorchester on Feb. 19 ...... Boston-area tunnels, highway systems need $1.6 billion in work ...... Warren officially launches presidential bid and Moulton says he's thinking about getting in the race ...... ...

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CCC CHAIR 'COMFORTABLE' WITH RETAIL, BANKING PROGRESS

By Colin A. Young
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

BOSTON, FEB. 7, 2019.....With the number of retail marijuana stores open still yet to break into double digits and marijuana users not rushing to make the switch from the illicit to the legal market, the state's chief marijuana regulator said Thursday he is comfortable with the pace of store openings and the progress towards undermining the unregulated market.

The Cannabis Control Commission has green-lighted nine retail marijuana stores across the state and eight have opened their doors to customers. The first stores opened Nov. 20 and through January 27 customers have spent about $28 million on marijuana products in Massachusetts, the CCC said.

But the Boston Globe reported on Sunday, citing data from Colorado-based cannabis market research firm BDS Analytics, that 76.3 percent of the marijuana sold in Massachusetts in 2019 is expected to be sold illegally -- not from one of the licensed and regulated retail stores overseen by the CCC.

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