Now five years after voters in Massachusetts opted to legalize recreational cannabis, the state’s industry has surpassed $2 billion in sales.
8, 2016, Massachusetts voters approved the legalization, regulation and taxation of cannabis with 1,769,328 voters, or 52 percent, in favor of Question 4, and 1,528,219 voters, or 45 percent, in opposition.
“It’s been a success in creating new tax revenue and new jobs ,and it’s been a success in giving local communities a new stream of tax money,” Borghesani said.
There’s a retail shop in West Boylston dressed up with a tent, a canoe and a vintage Coleman grill, offering the feel of a National Park camping trip.
“It’s attracted a lot of young entrepreneurs who are bringing a lot of energy and great ideas into what is basically a whole new legal industry,” he said.
It reflects both access to capital and an onerous local approval process for which I completely blame the legislature,” Borghesani said.
Charlie Baker ordered adult-use cannabis businesses to close their doors during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, the state got its first economic empowerment shop.
People argued that many, including veterans, use recreational cannabis for medicinal purposes, and grew frustrated that liquor stores were allowed to continue operating.
Title, like others, sees making more access to capital a vital move to support equity applicants, as well as clarifying the state Cannabis Control Commission’s authority over host community agreements.
When the CCC approved a delivery license that would allow for the wholesale purchase of cannabis to be warehoused and then sold and delivered — in addition to a courier license, allowing applicants to partner with retailers to deliver directly to consumers — the Commonwealth Dispensary Association filed a lawsuit arguing that giving a period of exclusivity to equity applicants violated the commission’s statute.
Impact fees, in which a municipality can collect up to 3 percent of the gross annual sales, have been a big problem, Borghesani said.
There’s been no increase in police directly related to cannabis, no increase in public safety or public health personnel,” Borghesani said.
“What legalization has shown in Massachusetts and other states is that we don’t see an increase in use across the board, we certainly don’t see an increase in teen use.
Correia took bribes from the cannabis companies in exchange for non-opposition letters, part of the process to get licensure, claiming he would only issue about five or six.
The state Department of Public Health found that six probable cases of vaping-related illnesses were linked to products bought in state-licensed dispensaries.
Following the departures of inaugural commission members Title, Kay Doyle, Britte McBride and Jennifer Flanagan, Nurys Z.
What should they focus on moving forward? Ensuring access to capital and more control over the HCA process are the issues cited most often.