Pot politics

After a dumbfounding outburst by House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Wednesday evening, it appears the House and Senate are finally getting down to business. A fiscal 2018 budget is slated for a vote on Friday and the House and Senate lawmakers trying to broker a deal between the branches on marijuana legislation are finally getting back to work. In this week’s Codcast, CommonWealth’s Michael Jonas, Jack Sullivan, and Bruce Mohl analyze the legislative maneuverings of the last week, particularly around pot. Why did DeLeo issue a statement denouncing those who would link the budget and pot negotiations for political leverage, and then say the negotiations were never linked by the House? Even though his comment appeared to point the finger at the Senate, it turns out there was no evidence anyone, let alone any senators, had engaged in political machinations. The speaker’s spokesman said DeLeo made the statement solely in response to press queries.