“Coming from Europe, where marijuana is still illegal in many countries,” writes Chloé Hecketsweiler, a 2016-17 KSJ fellow, “I am surprised to see it’s now ‘business as usual’ here. This emerging industry is fascinating, with its doctors, Apple Store-like dispensaries, and growing facilities that look like biomedical plants.”
The business is growing quickly in Massachusetts, observes Chloé, who covers the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries for the French newspaper Le Monde. Last November, Bay State voters approved a ballot measure to legalize marijuana for recreational use. According to a recent report from the pot-industry analyst Arcview, in 2016 North American consumers spent $6.7 billion on legal cannabis, almost 35 percent more than the previous year.
This photo essay was the final project for Chloé’s photojournalism class at B.U. She shot the pictures in late April and early May in Milford, Cambridge, and Boston.
