THE CANNABIS CONTROL COMMISSION is at an inflection point, with all five of the state’s original marijuana regulators having moved on. “Today marks a significant moment for all of us as the five inaugural commissioners have now departed the CCC,” said Commissioner Ava Concepcion at the start of a virtual public commission meeting on Thursday. […]
Marijuana
Posted inRace/Racism
No easy glide path for Black marijuana CEOs
BLACK AND LATINO men were disproportionately incarcerated for decades for drug-related offenses. But when it comes to participating in the emerging legal marijuana industry, only 4 percent of cannabis company CEOs nationally are people of color. On Thursday, a group of 16 cannabis CEOs of color gathered in Boston as the first cohort of a […]
Posted inUncategorized
Senate passes a marijuana equity bill
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE on Thursday passed a bill that takes significant steps toward helping minority entrepreneurs and those affected by prior enforcement of drug laws break into the legal marijuana industry, which has so far been dominated largely by big companies and White business owners. “Massachusetts became the first state in the country in 2017 […]
Posted inUncategorized
Defense lawyer dismisses Baker marijuana bill as ‘junk science’
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER has been pushing for legislation he says would give “law enforcement more tools to keep our roads safe from impaired drivers.” John Amabile, president of the Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, used other words to describe the bill: “a classic use of nonscientific junk science to potentially cause a person […]
Posted inUncategorized
Marijuana industry ‘fixes’ moving in the Legislature
A COMPREHENSIVE BILL that would address several major problems that marijuana regulators and industry experts have pinpointed in the legal cannabis industry is starting to move in the Legislature. The Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy is polling out two bills – one related to criminal record expungements and another related to host community agreements and funding for social equity entrepreneurs – […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Marijuana regulators support updates to drugged driving laws
SINCE MASSACHUSETTS LEGALIZED recreational marijuana, Gov. Charlie Baker has been pushing the Legislature to also update the state’s laws against driving under the influence of drugs. But a lengthy discussion by the state’s marijuana regulators on Thursday illustrated the immense challenges lawmakers will face should they choose to move forward with the governor’s bill. […]
Posted inOpinion
Mass. falling behind on marijuana equity mandate
AFTER MASSACHUSETTS voters legalized adult-use cannabis in 2016, the Legislature made history as the first in the nation to require full participation in the regulated industry by individuals who were harmed by previous marijuana prohibition. Unfortunately, five years later, our state is now falling behind others when it comes to meeting our own equity mandate. This concerns […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker refiles marijuana-impaired driving bill
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday announced that he is taking another run at passing a bill to stop people from driving while impaired by marijuana. Baker said the bill will enhance public safety “by equalizing alcohol and marijuana and giving law enforcement more tools to keep our roads safe from impaired drivers.” The bill is […]
Posted inEconomy
Marijuana prices show signs of leveling out
ARE POT PRICES in Massachusetts finally dropping? Since Massachusetts allowed the first legal marijuana sales in November 2018, prices for legal cannabis have remained high. High prices are one factor cannabis consumers have cited in explaining why they continued to buy illegally, from friends or dealers. But data from the state Cannabis Control Commission suggest […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Marijuana sales averaging nearly $106m per month
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THROUGH EIGHT MONTHS of 2021, recreational marijuana retailers in Massachusetts have sold more than $140 million more in products than they did throughout the entirety of 2020 and total legal Bay State bud sales have now eclipsed the $2 billion mark. The Cannabis Control Commission said Wednesday that its licensees have […]