To listen to the state’s newest regulatory commission in its meetings, the tenor and terms, for the most part, are no different than hearings regarding oversight of most industries in the state. But the big difference is the industry they are charged with overseeing – legal marijuana – and members of the Cannabis Control Commission have […]
Marijuana
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Pot board mandates medical set-aside
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOPING TO ASSUAGE fears that medical marijuana patients could find their medicine in short supply when dispensaries begin selling to the newly-legal retail market, state pot regulators on Tuesday agreed to a policy that will require dispensaries to hold some marijuana aside for medical patients. Registered medical dispensaries that wish to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Pot board retreats on sweeping regs
THE COMMISSION OVERSEEING the nascent pot industry bowed to pressure from top elected leaders and put off approving home delivery and so-called “social consumption” cafes but voted to give minorities the preference for those permits when they become available. In the first of three days of hearings at the State House to finalize regulations, the […]
Posted inThe Download
State pot bank a long shot
The chairman of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission floated the idea of opening a state-run bank to serve marijuana businesses, but the idea faces a lot of hurdles. Steve Hoffman, the chairman of the commission, told the Boston Globe that no local banks or credit unions are willing to provide financial services to marijuana businesses […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Pot chair says no pressure on regs
THE CHAIRMAN OF the state board charged with regulating legal pot said he and his colleagues are feeling no added pressure in light of comments from top elected officials calling for the panel to slow down on issuing regulations for a broad array of marijuana businesses. The Cannabis Control Commission is wrapping up its public […]
Posted inThe Download
The race to get pot regs
One of the key components in legalizing marijuana for those who backed the referendum was to ensure equitable access to the market by disadvantaged communities, especially communities of color who have long been shown to be disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system for drug-related crimes. When the Legislature passed its fix to the law last […]
Posted inEconomy
Debit card payer pulls plug on pot dispensaries
THE HARDLINE STANCE from the top federal prosecutor in the state about pot enforcement has caused a company that processes debit transactions for medical marijuana dispensaries to stop accepting the bank cards and forced the shops to revert to cash-only, adding a layer of hardship to patients. Westborough-based Merchant Services Consulting Group (MSCG), which processes […]
Posted inPolitics
Pot and the minority community
Photographs by Michael Manning THE PRESIDENT OF THE LAWRENCE CITY COUNCIL had already issued a stern warning against booing. City resident Steven Gil was at the podium, struggling mightily to make the case at the hearing in early October that allowing marijuana businesses in the city would be a good thing. “Please don’t shut the […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
US attorney threatens state’s pot industry
US ATTORNEY ANDREW LELLING has sent a chilling response to calls from pro-pot advocates to clarify his stance on marijuana prosecution in Massachusetts, a message sure to send potential investors and business people into a state of panic over whether they would be subject to arrest and prosecution under federal drug laws. “This is a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Politics
Confusion reigns in states with legal pot
THE ONE THING that is certain with the change in enforcement of federal marijuana laws is that there will be no uniform approach to enforcement by US attorneys in states that have legalized the sale of recreational marijuana. Public comments and statements from some of the 12 US attorneys in the eight states that have […]