As Massachusetts lawmakers negotiate an overhaul of the cannabis industry, some medical patients are urging an option no state has undertaken — letting any dispensary sell medical cannabis.

Why it matters: Massachusetts is home to 79,000 medical cannabis patients, and some of the most vocal ones say their access to tax-free cannabis is diminishing as more medical facilities close.

Catch up quick: A panel of lawmakers is crafting a cannabis reform bill that tackles everything from lab testing standards to the makeup of the state's Cannabis Control Commission.

• Both proposals would nix so-called vertical integration requirements that only license medical dispensaries if they also grow and produce cannabis. (Recreational cannabis dispensaries don't have that requirement.)
• The Senate bill also allows medical patients from other states to buy cannabis tax-free. The House version doesn't.
• The House proposal would impose a three-year exclusivity period during which only "social equity" applicants can get licenses to run medical dispensaries.

State of play: The Massachusetts Patient Advocacy Alliance said in a letter to lawmakers that the proposal may have unintended consequences for patients who already struggle to access medical cannabis.

• Patients support nixing the vertical integration requirement but warn the medical supply chain could shrink.
• They say the supply issues, the exclusivity period proposed by the House and proposals to still cap a company at three medical licenses statewide would continue to limit medical cannabis options.

Zoom in: The alliance argues all of those concerns could be solved by letting patients get medical cannabis at any licensed dispensary, as long as they can get up to a 60-day supply.

What they're saying: "If I go to a pharmacy, I get my prescription, it's not taxed ... that should be the same for medical patients," says Ellen Moore, a Reading resident who has been a patient for more than a decade.

• Moore, a member of the alliance, says the state's rules mean she has to travel several towns over to get cannabis.

The heads of the panel, Sen. Adam Gomez and Rep. Daniel Donahue, did not respond to requests for comment.

Reality check: Persuading lawmakers to make major changes to a heavily regulated industry like legal cannabis — changes that neither bill included — is a long shot.

• The proposal, however popular, would make Massachusetts the first to allow a "universal medical access" model.
• Connecticut, which has some 31,000 patients, comes close. The state recently started letting recreational dispensaries obtain "hybrid" licenses and sell cannabis tax-free to patients.

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The United States' 250th anniversary may be remembered as the year a Kennedy declared war on Massachusetts.

Why it matters: Dunkin', the Bay State's beloved coffee chain, is the Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy's latest target.

Driving the news: Kennedy blasted the Canton-based company at an "Eat Real Food" rally in Austin, Texas, last week, suggesting the Trump administration may pull certain ingredients from the market if they can't be proven safe, the Boston Globe reported.

• "We're going to ask Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks, 'Show us the safety data that show that it's OK for a teenage girl to drink an iced coffee with 115 grams of sugar in it,'" Kennedy said, per the Globe.
• One dietician estimated that Dunkin's 48-ounce bucket of coffee, if sweetened, may contain as much as 126 grams of sugar.

What they're saying: The backlash was swift.

• "Come and take it," an image posted by Gov. Maura Healey on X states.
• "If this administration changes *anything* that goes into Dunkin I will make January 6th look like a tea party," one user wrote.
• Others on the platform echoed Healey's comments and threatened present-day Boston tea parties.

Zoom out: Kennedy, who is perhaps better known for falsely linking vaccines to autism and other dubious medical claims, has gained bipartisan support for his vows to scrutinize sugar levels and other ingredients in foods that line grocery store aisles.

• Singling out Dunkin', however, has so far seemed to unite Bay State residents from both the right and left.
• And it's unclear if his claims to go after sugary drinks like Dunkin's will come to fruition.

Tell a Dunks stan

A Suffolk Superior Court grand jury indicted Jean Charles, the driver of a Boston Public Schools bus that killed a kindergartener last year in Hyde Park. (Boston Globe)

🏈 The Patriots will reportedly release Stefon Diggs next Wednesday when NFL free agency begins in an apparent cost-saving move. (NBC Boston)

• The decision frees up $16.8 million for player salaries that otherwise would have gone to Diggs.

🗳️ Harvard University and unionized custodians reached a tentative contract agreement Tuesday that would boost wages and bolster job security for immigrant union members. (MassLive)

💸 Cambridge city councilors sent a petition to state lawmakers to let them impose a 2% tax on real estate sales above $1 million to fund affordable housing. (Cambridge Day)

Many independent restaurants say they've hit a pricing ceiling — even as sales and traffic stabilize, according to the James Beard Foundation's annual industry report.

Why it matters: Survival tactics of the past few years — higher prices and delivery expansion — are losing effectiveness.

State of play: Restaurants that raised prices more than 10% in 2025 were most likely to report lower profits, down from a 15% threshold in last year's report.

• "There's just not a lot of elasticity left," said Anne McBride, vice president of impact at the James Beard Foundation.
• Operators say diners are pushing back — skipping second drinks, sharing desserts and trimming add-ons to manage the final check.
• Restaurants have also had to adjust to the rise of non-alcoholic beverages and GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, with some eating and drinking less overall.

Go deeper

The Red Sox tapped Garrett Crochet as starting pitcher in yesterday's spring training matchup against the New York Yankees.

• Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, the former pitcher who was working as a special instructor for the team, called Crochet "a true ace" in an interview with MLB last week.
• "There's a guy that you can build a team around."