Massachusetts is considering implementing some of the toughest laws in the country regulating the pharmaceutical industry from giving gifts of any kind to doctors, and restricting drug company funding.

MedPage Today (via Dr. RW) reports that one unexpected consequence is that many major physician conferences are pulling out of the city.

For instance, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology pulled its 2015 convention out of Boston, citing difficulty finding “sponsorships and to provide education courses under current legal conditions.”

Millions of dollars will be lost, both in convention revenue and hotel bookings. There’s talk that other major physician conferences are bypassing Boston altogether.

Will the unintended consequence of hurting the state economy force the government to loosen up their oversight of pharmaceutical gift-giving?