Worcester Business Journal

24 Worcester Business Journal • February 29, 2016 www.wbjournal.com Join the WBJ's LinkedIn discussion group by scanning the code to the left on your smartphone. To scan the code, you need the NeoReader. Visit get.neoreader.com to download it onto your phone. Want to participate in the conversation? F L A S H P O L L T A L K B A C K LEGAL MARIJUANA Opponents of legal marijuana in Massachusetts argue, among other things, that it is a gateway drug. "I was diagnosed with lymphoma, and throughout chemotherapy, I used marijuana, smoking it four or five times a day, and it made it made all the difference. I won't go into details, but calling it a dangerous drug is absurd. People who have issues with addiction shouldn't be in the way of the rest of us who may want to use marijuana in a similar way people use alcohol." WBJournal.com commenter Cytafex UBER, LYFT SAFETY With cabbies being fingerprinted in Boston, a new survey finds people want similar safety standards for Uber and Lyft drivers. "With an Uber driver, there is an electronic record of who picked you up and where they drove. Can't always say that for taxi driver." Twitter commenter Seany Hide (@SeanyHide) What will the Massachusetts unemployment rate be as of Dec. 31, 2016? (It was 4.7 percent in January 2016.) Top economist contestants seeing falling Mass. unemployment W orcester Business Journal launched its annual Top Economist contest in early February to see which Central Mass. business leaders could most accurately predict key economy performance metrics. The winners will be announced at the 2017 WBJ Economic Forecast event. The majority of contestants predicted the Dow Jones Industrial Average climbing, GDP growth outpacing 2015, oil prices rising, the national unemployment rate increasing and the state unemployment rate dropping. COMMENTS: 4.3 to 4.6 percent 46% H eading into the March 1 statewide presidential primary in Massachusetts, Worcester Business Journal readers choose Donald Trump among the Republican candidates and Hillary Clinton over Bernie Sanders among the Democratic candidates. Central Mass. to choose Trump, Clinton "Bernie has been delivering the same message for years. He has a clear vision and plan for our country and seems to be addressing all of the right issues." Who will you vote for in the March 1 presidential primary? Above 5 percent 13% COMMENTS: "Only a governor has the CEO experience required to lead our country. With more than 18 years of international and armed forces experience, in Congress and having been a very successful governor, Gov. Kasich has the experience our nation requires for the next eight years. Also coming from a swing state, Gov. Kasich is the only coalition-building centrist that will represent all of us." 4.7 to 5 percent 28% Below 4.3 percent 13% "3%" "5.4%" "4.5%" "4.8%" "4.2%" "Mr. Trump is the only candidate, as brash and as provocative as he is, who really gets it!" Hillary Clinton 22% Donald Trump 27% Ben Carson Bernie Sanders 15% Marco Rubio 14% John Kasich 14% 2% Ted Cruz 6%

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