Search Results for "massachusetts"

Massachusetts Cannabis Agency Requests 55% Funding Bump

3/14/2025

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) is asking the state for a large bump in funding for the agency in fiscal year 2026, WWLP.com reports.

CCC officials said that to keep up with the testing, licensing, and hiring requirements of overseeing the state’s legal cannabis industry, the agency will need a budget of $30.8 million, which is a $10 million jump from its current annual budget of $19.8 million. The agency had requested $25 million for fiscal year 2025 but did not receive the entire sum.

The agency’s new Executive Director, Travis Ahern — who was selected for the role late last year and was formally appointed just last week — said the industry’s rapid expansion justified the request.

“Though the commission has historically categorized much of its funding requests as ‘expansionary,’ the reality is that these funds are necessary to implement legislative requirements and maintain the safety of the industry.” — Ahern, via WWLP.com

One of the agency’s major goals for the fnuding is to fund credible cannabis testing labs, the report said. Testing labs in Massachusetts, like in many other states, struggle against widespread “lab shopping” practices, which is when cannabis operators prioritize bringing their products for testing to labs that provide more desirable results, including higher (and often inflated) THC potency and more lenient product safety screenings.

The founder and CEO of SafeTiva Labs Megan Dobro said during a Massachusetts legislative hearing last year that, “When there’s variability in the results, the producers are shopping for labs that are going to give them results that allow them to sell their products for more.”

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Lawsuit by Massachusetts Cannabis Testing Lab Claims Rivals Inflate THC Results, Ignore Contaminant ‘Safety Fails’

2/17/2025

A Massachusetts cannabis testing laboratory is suing eight rival testing labs claiming they are inflating THC levels and ignoring “safety fails” in contamination tests. The lawsuit, filed last month by MCR Labs in Massachusetts Superior Court, names Analytics Labs, LLC; Assured Testing Laboratories, LLC; CDX Analytics, LLC; Green Analytics Massachusetts, LLC (formally known as Steep Hill Massachusetts); Green Valley Analytics, LLC; Kaycha MA, LLC; Massbiolytics Corp.; and Safetiva Labs, LLC.

The lawsuit contends that because the defendants “are willing to engage in these unlawful and unscrupulous practices, the Massachusetts cannabis industry is rife with … ‘lab shopping.’”

“This race-to-the-bottom willingness to manipulate testing also results in unknowing consumers overpaying for lower-potency cannabis riddled with dangerous contaminants. Given the rampant corruption of compliance testing, neither consumers nor dispensaries could be expected to know which products on the shelf may be unlawfully contaminated or have misleading potency claims.” — MCR Labs, LLC vs. Analytics Labs, et al

MCR argues in the lawsuit that the rival labs “cheated to steal customers away” and that the “unfair and unlawful competition has had the expected and intended result of diverting existing and prospective clients away from [MCR], who refused to join in the fraudulent scheme to corrupt quality and compliance testing in the Massachusetts cannabis market.”

The lawsuit claims that, in the “most blatant cases” defendants participated in “round robins,” a scheme “in which prospective customers sent representative samples to multiple labs.”

“The lab with the highest potency and lowest fail rates (most favorable results) would generally win the customer’s business,” MCR claims in the lawsuit. “Whether in a ‘round robin’ or through other means, the effect is the same. The customer selects the lab that gives them the highest – and most marketable and profitable – THC potency results and/or lowest fail rates. In other words, it promotes lab shopping.”

MCR is seeking monetary damages and an injunction against the labs from engaging in test manipulation.

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Massachusetts Cannabis Agency Warns of Mold-Contaminated Products

2/05/2025

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) alerted Tuesday that some cannabis flower sold in the state may have exceeded state-mandated levels of yeast and mold.

Regulators said the potentially contaminated products were sold by licensed retailers in the state between May 31, 2024, and January 23, 2025.

“The affected products previously passed required compliance testing between March 2024 and June 2024; however, following additional compliance testing, samples of the affected products were found to have the presence of yeast and mold above the acceptable testing limits established for Total Yeast and Mold and coliforms. The affected products are subject to further investigation by the Commission and would be subject to confirmatory retesting and passing results before the products can be made available to the public.” — Excerpt from the CCC notice

The agency encouraged consumers to check if they had purchased any of the products flagged by regulators in the notice.

Christopher Hudalla, the founder and chief scientific officer at cannabis testing facility ProVerde Laboratories, told NBC News that inconsistent cannabis testing methods can lead to potentially contaminated samples getting into the supply chain. “It has been frustrating because for several years we have expressed concerns to CCC about testing methodologies in place or products that represent a safety concern for consumers,” Hudalla said.

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Massachusetts Cannabis Industry Sets $1.64B Annual Sales Record In 2024

1/27/2025

The Massachusetts cannabis industry set a new annual sales record in 2024 of $1.64 billion, according to sales data from the state’s seed-to-sale tracker Metrc cited by the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC).

The annual sales record was propelled by three record-setting months of sales with July ($142.8 million) setting the new monthly sales record in the summer, which was surpassed in August ($147 million) ahead of Labor Day weekend. Additionally, December 2024 “narrowly eclipsed” December 2023 as the industry’s third-highest sales month on record, the agency said.

“The cannabis industry in Massachusetts continued to mature in 2024 as the Commission approved the 700th—and counting—notice to commence operations. The clear growth of the industry is the result of ongoing collaboration between Commissioners and agency staff, business owners, host communities, an engaged consumer base, and the medical community. We’re looking ahead to continued growth in 2025 and beyond as we seek to expand the industry with new social consumption licenses.” — CCC Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins, in a statement

Meanwhile, the CCC reported last month that state-licensed retailers have surpassed $7 billion in total sales since the adult-use cannabis industry launched in 2018.

The CCC also released for the first time county-specific data on gross adult-use and medical cannabis sales totals, noting that adult-use and medical cannabis retailers in Worcester County — currently tied with Middlesex County in hosting the most cannabis industry licensees, 86 as of January 2025 — have generated a combined $1.4 billion in sales since 2018.

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Massachusetts Cannabis Agency Names Pick for New Executive Director

12/20/2024

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) voted Wednesday to offer Holliston Town Manager Travis Ahern the role of the agency’s next executive director, the MetroWest Daily News reports. The agency’s first choice, who heads the Cannabis Division at the Illinois Department of Agriculture, had originally accepted the position earlier this month but then changed his mind.

The CCC has been without a permanent executive director since the former agency head, Shannon O’Brien, was removed from the position more than a year ago. O’Brien filed a lawsuit over the suspension last year but State Treasurer Deb Goldberg announced in September that O’Brien’s removal was permanent, as she had been fired for allegedly making “racially, ethnically and culturally insensitive statements.”

Ahern was a finalist during the agency’s initial search for a permanent executive director. Acting Commission Chair Bruce Stebbins told New England Public Media that he thought Ahern is a good fit for the job:

“Mr. Ahern is a candidate…we thought highly of during our discussions, and, for me, I think would be a good candidate to move forward and select.” — Stebbins, via New England Public Media

The commissioners decided unanimously in a 4-0 vote on Wednesday to offer the position to Ahern and enter into contract discussions. The agency also determined that if Ahern ultimately declines the offer, the commission will reconvene for a detailed discussion covering the next steps.

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Massachusetts Cannabis Retailers Pass $7B Sales Milestone

12/16/2024

Officials with the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) announced last week that in November, licensed cannabis dispensaries in the state surpassed $7 billion in gross sales since the adult-use market launched in 2018. Medical cannabis sales, meanwhile, have reached $1.4 billion since 2018, which is when the CCC started tracking sales under the medical program.

Regulators noted that the adult-use sales milestone was reached ahead of “Green Wednesday,” the day before Thanksgiving, which is regularly one of the biggest sales days for cannabis retailers. During this year’s Green Wednesday, licensed retailers sold $7.9 million worth of cannabis — nearly $500,000 more than last year — and it was the second-biggest day of sales after this year’s April 20 consumer holiday, officials said.

“These sales figures demonstrate that Massachusetts customers remain loyal to their local cannabis businesses, they trust the Commonwealth’s regulated marketplace and tested products, and they will continue bolstering the longest-running adult-use market along the East Coast. We look forward to tackling ongoing policy matters in 2025 that will further strengthen our market— beyond recent regulatory changes for delivery and microbusiness licensees—and the upcoming implementation of a new social consumption framework.” — CCC Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins, in a statement

Coinciding with the sales surge, the average price of cannabis flower in the state fell to about $4.58 per gram, according to Metrc data. Adult-use cannabis taxes include a 6.25% state sales tax, a 10.75% state excise tax, and up to an additional 3% as a local tax option for cities or towns.

Meanwhile, Massachusetts regulators last month revealed plans to license different types of social cannabis consumption sites including cannabis tasting rooms, cafes, lounges, and even movie theaters.

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Curaleaf Wins First Massachusetts Cannabis Research License

11/20/2024

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) last week awarded Curaleaf Processing, a subsidiary of the multistate operator Curaleaf Holdings, the state’s first Marijuana Research Facility license.

“We are excited to move the state’s first-ever Research Facility license forward in the hopes that it will contribute to a safer regulated cannabis industry, rooted in science. This licensee has worked diligently over the last two years to bring this facility to the Commonwealth, and we look forward to the work their team will accomplish after their receipt of a research permit.” — CCC Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins, in a press release

The state’s research facility licenses were first announced in 2018 and officials said seven hopeful licensees have applied; the licenses are available to academic institutions, nonprofits, or companies licensed to do business in Massachusetts. Additionally, the licensees will need to apply for a Research Permit from the CCC’s Research Department to authorize specific studies and research methods to be performed at the facilities.

“As long as marijuana remains a Schedule I substance, it is important that states like ours continue to innovate and pursue opportunities for research despite the barriers that may exist,” Commissioner Ava Callender Concepcion said in the release. “I’m thrilled to see this licensee moving forward, and we are excited for the day when we can announce that their research efforts have officially begun.”

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Massachusetts Issues Safety Guidelines for ‘Ground Cannabis Dust’

11/15/2024

Regulators with the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) on Wednesday released new health and safety guidelines for the cannabis industry in an official bulletin dubbing “ground cannabis dust” a hazardous material.

The regulations come nearly three years after the death of Lorna McMurrey, a 27-year-old cannabis worker who suffered a fatal asthma attack while working at a Trulieve cannabis processing facility in Massachusetts. Trulieve, a Florida-based company, later agreed to a $14,502 settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) over McMurrey’s death.

“All Licensees should be aware that ground cannabis dust is a hazardous chemical and that OSHA has issued citations to Licensees who have failed to evaluate and classify accordingly. Licensees should evaluate the workplace safety and health risks including, but not limited to, skin and respiratory sensitization by an allergen associated with ground Cannabis dust generated during the Processing of Marijuana in their workplace.” — Excerpt from the bulletin

Additionally, the CCC noted that state law requires cannabis operators to “follow written workplace safety and health standard operating procedures and take necessary steps to ensure safety for employees.”

“All licensees, like any business, are required to comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 and are subject to oversight from OSHA,” the CCC said.

Meanwhile, the CCC last month issued fines totaling $165,000 to two of the state’s largest cannabis companies, Curaleaf and Ascend Wellness, for violations including improper pesticide use and failing to follow the state’s seed-to-sale tracking program.

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Massachusetts Voters Reject Medicinal Psychedelics Measure

11/06/2024

Voters in Massachusetts on Tuesday rejected a measure to legalize medicinal psychedelics, the Associated Press reports. The measure failed 57% to 43%.

Opponents argued that the measure went too far by allowing would-be patients to grow psychedelic fungi and plants at home, while proponents said the measure would have opened a pathway for psychedelic therapies in treating depression, anxiety in cancer patients, post-traumatic stress disorder, and would have led to tax revenues derived from the industry.

According to AdImpact figures, Massachusetts for Mental Health Options, the ballot campaign, raised more than $7.5 million and spent nearly as much promoting the reforms, while the Coalition for Safe Communities, which opposed the measure, raised $107,000.

Voters in two states – Oregon in 2020 and Colorado in 2022 – have legalized psychedelics for medical use. In 2020, Washington, D.C. voters approved a measure that decriminalized psilocybin, psilocin, ayahuasca and mescaline.

The Massachusetts measure would have legalized psilocybin, psilocin, dimethyltryptamine (DMT), ibogaine, and mescaline for medical use for patients 21-and-older, but would have restricted access to those who could afford an expensive therapy session. The proposal would have allowed licensed “facilitators” to provide the psychedelics as part of a behavioral health or substance use disorder treatment. The substances are still considered a Schedule I drug under federal law, meaning they are defined as having “no accepted medical use.”

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Massachusetts Cannabis Regulators Issue Fines for Pesticide & Record Keeping Violations

10/11/2024

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) issued fines on Thursday to Curaleaf and Ascend Wellness — two of the state’s largest cannabis companies — for self-reported improper pesticide use and record-keeping violations, The Boston Globe reports.

Regulators fined Ascend Wellness $85,000 for failing to comply with the state’s track-and-trace system which is supposed to keep track of all cannabis products produced and/or manufactured in the state, from seed to sale. The error ultimately left about 900 cannabis products that could not be tracked by regulators.

“Ascend is fully committed to adhering to the regulations set forth by the CCC and places great importance on compliance. We have already implemented most of the necessary actions and remain dedicated to working with the CCC to restore trust and confidence as we move forward.” — Frank Perullo, Ascend Wellness president and co-founder, via The Globe

Additionally, the Commission fined Curaleaf $80,000 due to a “systemic problem” of failing to follow best practices in its Amesbury and Webster cultivation facilities for limiting pesticide contamination, including leaving certain open doors against state rules and failing to seal doorways and ducts properly. Regulators found at least three cannabis product samples from the company contaminated with pesticides.

A spokesperson for Curaleaf told The Globe, “We feel confident about the changes made to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” and that the company’s number one priority is the “health and safety of our patients and customers.”

Curaleaf operates five dispensaries in Massachusetts, and Ascend operates three.

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Top Massachusetts Cannabis Regulator Fired

9/11/2024

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) Chair Shannon O’Brien was fired this week for allegedly making “racially, ethnically and culturally insensitive statements,” CBS News reports. The former chair was suspended last September.

State Treasurer Deb Goldberg announced the termination this week, saying she decided to fire O’Brien after reviewing hundreds of pages of testimony and after many hours of meetings and evaluation. Goldberg said that O’Brien made an insensitive comment about someone of Asian heritage

“The Chair committed gross misconduct and demonstrated she is unable to discharge the powers and duties of a CCC commissioner. I do so with deep regret because she has a long history of public service, and when appointed I anticipated she would lead the Commission capably and in an appropriate manner. I expect my appointee’s actions to be reflective of the important mission of the CCC and performed in a manner that incorporates the standards of professionalism required in today’s work environment.” — Goldberg, in a statement via CBS News

O’Brien — who filed a lawsuit last year against the state saying she had been removed unlawfully — has denied the accusations and contested her removal.

O’Brien’s legal counsel Max Stern told NBC News that this week’s decision “whitewashes the unequivocal evidence that would lead any reasonable and fair fact-finder to conclude that there are no grounds for removal and would immediately reinstate her to steer the rudderless the CCC shipwreck.”

In July, Massachusetts Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro called on state officials to appoint a receiver to oversee the CCC after many months of regulatory delays and heightened scrutiny.

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Massachusetts Voters Will Decide Whether to Legalize Natural Psychedelics

7/12/2024

Massachusetts officials announced Wednesday that a ballot initiative to make certain psychedelics legal in the state for adults has qualified for November ballots, Marijuana Moment reports.

Advocates with the Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO) campaign submitted the final batch of signatures for the initiative last week. The campaign previously turned in enough signatures to force the Legislature to consider the issue but, after lawmakers rejected the reforms, the campaign submitted an additional 14,000+ signatures last week to put the issue on the ballot.

If approved by voters, the Natural Psychedelic Substances Act would legalize the possession, cultivation, and sharing of certain psychedelics for adults aged 21 and older. Possession limits under the proposal would be capped at one gram for DMT, 18 grams for non-peyote mescaline, 30 grams for ibogaine, and one gram for both psilocybin and psilocin. Notable, those weight limits do not account for material that the psychoactive substances are attached to, the report said.

The initiative would also establish a Natural Psychedelic Substances Commission to oversee implementing the law and licensing psychedelics service centers and facilitators, with a Natural Psychedelic Substances Advisory Board to “study and make recommendations” to the commission regarding public health, training and regulations, and the potential for future expansions to the psychedelics program.

If passed, the initiative would take effect December 15, 2024. The proposal does not include any expungement provisions for prior psychedelics-related convictions.

“The support from Massachusetts residents has been overwhelming, we are thrilled to be on the ballot this year. Massachusetts veterans have been advocating for this type of care for years, it’s time to make it accessible and affordable for them and other struggling Massachusetts residents.” – Emily Oneschuk, grassroots outreach director for MMHO, in a press release

A study published earlier this year found that older adults who have used psychedelics tend to exhibit better cognitive function and fewer depressive symptoms than those who have never used psychedelics.

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Massachusetts Officials May Appoint Receiver to Oversee Embattled Cannabis Commission

7/11/2024

Massachusetts officials are considering a receivership for the state’s Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) following a hearing Tuesday where lawmakers described the agency as a “train wreck” and “Wild West,” according to a WBUR report. The commission is under scrutiny amid allegations of a toxic work environment, high-level personnel suspensions, and regulatory delays.

The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy hearing came after state Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro called on officials to appoint a receiver to oversee the CCC.

“If the need were not urgent, I would not have approached the matter in this manner. The longer the CCC flounders, the less certainty and stability for applicants and licensees, patients and caregivers, investors, consumers, and host communities.” — Shapiro, to the committee, via WBUR

While lawmakers from both sides of the aisle voiced concerns over the agency, state Rep. Rob Consalvo (D), the committee’s vice chair, called appointing a receiver “the nuclear option,” noting that “it’s never been done on a state agency.”

Shapiro contended that a receiver would be a short-term solution while lawmakers considered deeper reforms on the agency, describing its leadership as thinking “they’re beholden to no one, that there’s no oversight, and that they can kind of do as they please.”

Following the hearing, a CCC spokesperson told WBUR that the agency is taking “seriously the concerns that have been identified” and that it’s “proud of its track record of standing up and regulating a safe, effective, and equitable medical- and adult-use cannabis industry.”

State Sen. Michael Moore (D), who has called the CCC “a black eye on the legal cannabis industry in Massachusetts,” this week filed an amendment to the Senate’s economic development bill that would allow the governor to appoint a receiver.

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Massachusetts Regulators Allow Cannabis to be Transported to Islands

6/18/2024

Massachusetts cannabis regulators last week issued an administrative order allowing cannabis to be transported from the mainland to Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket islands, the Associated Press reports. The decision comes following a lawsuit by Martha’s Vineyard dispensary Island Time which argued that the ban on transporting cannabis from the mainland to the island is arbitrary and puts an undue burden on dispensaries on the island, who must rely on cannabis grown only on the island.

State regulators had taken the position that transporting cannabis by either boat or plane risked violating federal law and banned the transport of cannabis to the Massachusetts islands. The order says that any cannabis transported from the mainland to the islands must remain entirely in state territorial waters, meaning cannabis cannot be transported via the ferry and must be transported on alternative, approved boats.

Island Time owner Geoff Rose told the AP that he was still working out the details, but he expected he’d be able to reopen sometime this week. Rose also indicated plans to drop the lawsuit.

Ava Callender Concepcion, the acting Cannabis Control Commission chair, told the AP the commission reached out to federal authorities and did not receive any pushback to the plan.

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Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts Dispensary Sues for Right to Transport Cannabis to Island by Boat

5/22/2024

A Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts cannabis dispensary is suing the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) over rules prohibiting the transport of cannabis products by boat across the Vineyard Sound to the island, the Vineyard Gazette reports. The lawsuit, filed by Island Time owner Geoff Rose, argues that the ban on transporting cannabis from the mainland to the island is arbitrary and puts an undue burden on dispensaries on the island who must rely on cannabis grown only on the island.

State officials say the ban is necessary due to federal law and state regulations that prohibit the transporting of cannabis across the water and airspace between mainland Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard, the report says. Rose, in an interview with the Gazette, pushed back on those claims, saying the Vineyard Sound operates under state jurisdiction.

“For more than 11 years, my efforts have centered on providing safe and responsible cannabis to local residents and visitors alike. I’m hoping that the court will mandate the commission take immediate action to allow us to transport the product from the mainland.” — Rose to the Gazette

The lawsuit comes after the island’s only commercial cannabis facility, Fine Fettle, announced it would close this year, leaving the Martha’s Vineyard dispensaries without product. Rose said that earlier this year he ordered products from a supplier on the mainland who transported them aboard a vehicle aboard the Steamship Authority ferry but the said that also ran afoul of state rules and ordered Rose not to sell the product – a position they later revered.

“[Island Time] is being starved to death by the Commission’s arbitrary, unreasonable and inconsistent policy against transporting marijuana and marijuana products over state territorial waters,” the lawsuit states.

A statement from the CCC indicated that the agency “has been discussing what may be possible in terms of extending additional accommodations to these licensees and will be scheduling a public meeting on Martha’s Vineyard within the next month to continue the conversation” but that “transportation of marijuana from the Commonwealth mainland to the island counties is not one of those accommodations.”

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Poll: Massachusetts Residents Would Prefer Intoxicating Hemp Products Only Sold at Licensed Dispensaries

4/28/2024

A majority of Massachusetts residents – 55% – say intoxicating hemp products should only be sold in state-licensed cannabis dispensaries, according to a MassINC Polling Group survey outlined by the Commonwealth Beacon. About a fifth of respondents said they didn’t know or didn’t want to answer with 28% saying the products should be allowed to be sold in other places.

The poll explained that “Hemp is a type of marijuana plant that contains a much smaller amount of THC than the marijuana sold in dispensaries. Products containing THC from hemp are not regulated in the same way as marijuana. They are now being sold at liquor stores, convenience stores, gas stations, and some bars and restaurants.”

The survey asked: “Do you think that products containing THC from hemp should only be sold at licensed dispensaries, or should they be sold in other places?”

Another 65% of the 1,001 residents polled between April 4 and 17 said they believed that legalizing cannabis for adult use was the right thing to do.

On The Horse Race podcast, MassINC Polling Group President Steve Koczela said that the survey results are “different than what we have seen, by and large, so far, in that people think it should be legal to buy marijuana, but not in this way,” referring to intoxicating hemp products sold outside of the licensed dispensary system.

Nearly 60% of those polled described the state’s cannabis sales system as “good” or “excellent.”

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Cresco Labs Cultivation Employees Leave Massachusetts Labor Union

4/24/2024

Workers at a Cresco Labs cannabis cultivation facility in Massachusetts have voted to de-unionize in what is believed to be the first instance of unionized cannabis workers departing from organized labor, MJBizDaily reports.

Workers at the multi-state operator’s Fall Rivers cultivation site signed with the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 328 in November 2020, and their contract was set to expire this June.

Wyatt Brissette, the Cresco employee who initiated the de-unionization vote, said the benefits from belonging to the union didn’t justify its $40 monthly fees. “We felt as if (the union) didn’t match what we needed,” Brissette said in the report. Ultimately, 18 of the location’s 20 cultivation workers supported the move to de-certify.

Lindsey Dadourian, the senior vice president of employee and labor relations for Cresco Labs, said the company was “very proud” of the employees’ “trust in Cresco.”

“We have always supported our employees’ choice to decide about organized representation, and that goes both ways. We will continue to support our employees while also working to maintain positive and productive relationships with the local unions that continue to represent some of our employees elsewhere.” — Dadourian, via MJBizDaily

The de-certification vote presents a setback for organized labor in the cannabis industry, which has otherwise grown more frequent among workers at cannabis companies of all shapes and sizes.

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Massachusetts Gov. Awards Social Equity Grants to 50 Cannabis Companies

4/17/2024

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) on Tuesday awarded 50 grants totaling $2,350,000 to cannabis social equity businesses in 28 communities through the state’s Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund (CSETF). The fund was established to provide financial assistance to eligible applicants and encourage the full participation in the state’s adult-use cannabis industry by entrepreneurs from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition and enforcement.

“Our administration is committed to righting historic wrongs from the War on Drugs, both by addressing inequities in the criminal justice system and by advancing equity in the cannabis industry. With the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund, we’re creating a sustainable and inclusive path to the industry for Massachusetts entrepreneurs that have faced barriers to entry. This funding will fill critical gaps necessary to allow social equity businesses to grow and succeed here in Massachusetts.” — Healey, in a press release

The grant awardees are:

Advesa MA, Inc., Cambridge, $50,000
Apple Guy Flowers, LLC, Uxbridge, $50,000
Aunty Budz LLC, Florence, $50,000
Bada Bloom! Inc., Tyngsborough, $50,000
Bailey’s Buds LLC, Dracut, $50,000
Belle Fleur Holdings LLC, Blandford, $50,000
Blossom Flower LLC, Holyoke, $50,000
Blue Sky Organics LLC, Newton, $50,000
Boston Bud Factory Inc., Holyoke, $50,000
Bracts & Pistils, LLC, Taunton, $50,000
Cloud 9 Cultivation LLC, Quincy, $20,000
DB Delivery MA, LLC, Boston, $33,000
Delivered, Inc., Clinton, $30,000
Dris Corporation, Natick, $50,000
Elevation Inc., Brockton, $50,000
Ember Gardens Delivery LLC, Somerset, $50,000
Freshly Baked Company, Taunton, $50,000
Gan Or LLC, Northampton, $50,000
Gas Bus LLC, Boston, $50,000
Grassp Ventures LLC, Salem, $50,000
Green Flash Delivery LLC, Boston, $50,000
Greener Leaf, Inc., Fall River, $50,000
Greenerside Holdings, LLC, Boston, $50,000
Herbal Power LLC, Boston, $50,000
Holyoke Smokes Corp, Holyoke, $50,000
Home Grown 617 LLC, Cambridge, $50,000
Infused Element, Holyoke, $35,000
JimBuddys Rec Shop, Inc., Chicopee, $50,000
KG Collective Brockton, LLC, Brockton, $32,000
KindRun Massachusetts, LLC, Hudson, $50,000
Lucky Green Ladies, LLC, Norton, $50,000
Major Bloom, Worcester, $50,000
Motah 420 LLC, Adams, $50,000
New Dia, LLC, Worcester, $50,000
On Root, LLC, Lynn, $50,000
Paper Crane Provisions LLC, Hubbardston, $50,000
Primus LLC, Springfield, $50,000
Rolling Releaf, LLC, Newton, $50,000
Rooted In LLC, Boston, $50,000
Royal Sun Farm LLC, Hubbardston, $50,000
Social-J, LLC, Northampton, $25,000
Stone’s Throw Cannabis LLC, Boston, $25,000
Team Green, LLC, Boston, $50,000
Teddy’s Veggie Farm, Spencer, $50,000
The Heritage Club LLC, Boston, $50,000
Treevit LLC, Athol, $50,000
Underground Legacy Social Club LLC, Boston, $50,000
Uproot LLC, Worcester, $50,000
Verdant Reparative Inc., Boston, $50,000
Zyp Run, Inc., Boston, $50,000

The grant awards come a little more than a month after Healey announced pardons for all misdemeanor cannabis possession convictions issued by the state. The pardons were approved earlier this month by the Governor’s Council, a requirement of the sweeping action.

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Massachusetts Cannabis Pardons Approved By Governor’s Council

4/08/2024

The Massachusetts Governor’s Council last week unanimously approved the mass pardoning request by Gov. Maura Healey (D) for cannabis possession convictions in the state, the State House News Service reports.

The pardoning action took immediate effect, theoretically wiping out all misdemeanor cannabis possession-related convictions ever handed out under Massachusetts state law.

“Massachusetts changed state laws around marijuana possession and this proposal is based on the simple premise of fairness and equity that a person should not bear the mark of conviction for an offense that is no longer a state crime.” — Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, in a statement to the council

Notably, the courts have yet to establish a system for identifying individuals who have received a pardon and updating their records accordingly, the report said. Councilor Terrence Kennedy called on officials to establish an automated system for identifying eligible individuals, recording their new status, and notifying them of the pardon.

“Don’t you think we should be making more of an effort to find those other people, and who they are? Most people that have a marijuana conviction don’t know what’s going on in this room today, and never will,” Kennedy said in the report.

The governor and Lt. Gov. Kimberly Driscoll (D) have each stated that eligible individuals will not need to take any actions to receive the pardon but, if desired, they can apply for an optional pardon certificate from the governor’s office.

Gov. Healey’s pardoning action is the most significant follow-up to President Joe Biden’s request for governors to follow his lead in issuing pardons for low-level cannabis possession.

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Massachusetts Gov. Issues Sweeping Cannabis Possession Pardons

3/14/2024

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) announced Wednesday she is moving to pardon all misdemeanor cannabis possession convictions issued by the state; the pardon action first requires approval from the Governor’s Council, then will take immediate effect.

The pardons will cover all Massachusetts misdemeanor cannabis convictions before March 13, 2024.

Most people will not need to take any action for the pardons to take effect, the governor said.

“Massachusetts decriminalized possession for personal use back in 2008, legalized it in 2016, yet thousands of people are still living with a conviction on their records – a conviction that may be a barrier to jobs, getting housing, even getting an education.” — Healey, via the Associated Press

“Nobody should face barriers to getting a job, housing or an education because of an old misdemeanor marijuana conviction that they would not be charged for today,” Healey said in a press release. “We’re taking this nation-leading action as part of our commitment to using the clemency process to advance fairness and equity in our criminal justice system.”

President Biden (D) in 2022 pardoned all low-level federal cannabis possession convictions; notably, Biden’s presidential pardons did not lead to the release of anyone serving prison time for a cannabis conviction. The president also called on governors to take similar action at the state level, and he awarded additional pardons late last year.

“We’re grateful for President Biden’s leadership on this at the federal level and proud to answer his call to take action in the states,” Gov. Healey said.

Healey’s pardoning action is supported by Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell, House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D), and Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D).

The Massachusetts state government hosts an FAQ for additional details.

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Therapeutic Psilocybin Proposal Advanced By Massachusetts Lawmakers

2/12/2024

Lawmakers in the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Public Health advanced a proposal this week that would legalize psilocybin — the psychedelic compound in so-called “magic mushrooms” — for medical, therapeutic, and spiritual purposes, Marijuana Moment reports.

Sponsored by Rep. Nicholas A. Boldyga (R), proposed bill H.3605 would allow the supervised use of psilocybin during sessions overseen “by a properly licensed facilitator.”

Under the bill, the state Department of Public Health would be in charge of licensing the program’s facilitators as well as the educational institutions where facilitators would be trained, and other regulations related to the program. Facilitators would be charged a $155 biennial licensing fee and would be required to complete between 20 and 300 hours of training from a licensed school, including at least 20 hours of in-person practice. Facilitators would also need to be high school graduates, residents of Massachusetts, aged 21+, and free of felonies for the past five years before they can apply for the program, the report said.

The proposal comes as advocates for psychedelics reform recently submitted signatures for a 2024 Massachusetts ballot proposal that, if approved by voters, would legalize psilocybin as a treatment for anxiety, depression, and PTSD, according to a CBS News report.

Massachusetts activist organization Bay Staters for Natural Medicine expressed support for the proposal. “The PAC can no longer claim that the only choice before voters is an unelected control commission to draft expensive regulations or no legalization at all. That was always a false choice, and we’re grateful that H.3605 passing out of its committee puts that on full display” said Michael Botelho, a cofounder of New England Veterans for Plant Medicine and a Massachusetts Marine Corp Veteran.

Oregon was the first state to legalize medicinal psilocybin following a successful voter initiative in 2020, and the very first state-licensed psilocybin treatment center in the U.S. opened for business in Eugene, Oregon last year. However, many advocates have pointed out that Oregon’s high licensing registration costs for practictioners (which amount to more than 20 times the fees proposed under H.3605) could result in treatments being inaccessible to people in need. Massachusetts’ bill would create a much more inclusive framework for psilocybin therapists to serve a broader range of patients.

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Massachusetts Sets New Annual $1.56B Cannabis Sales Record

2/08/2024

Massachusetts cannabis dispensaries set a new annual sales record in 2023 at $1.56 billion, according to data from the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) outlined by Boston 25 News.

The year was capped off with the industry’s most lucrative month yet after licensed retailers sold $140.1 million worth of adult-use cannabis products in December, breaking the previous monthly sales record from August 2023. Regulators said the state is tracking 338 dispensaries and 21 cannabis delivery companies. Ultimately, annual cannabis sales increased last year by $78 million, or about 5%.

Despite the gains last year, the Massachusetts cannabis industry experienced a tumultuous 2023 following the sudden removal of CCC Chair Shannon O’Brien in September — who in turn sued the state treasurer over the decision. Then two more top CCC officials were suspended in December, which sent the agency into further disarray and prompted lawmakers to call for an investigation into the agency.

CCC Acting Chair Ava Concepcion said in the report that the state’s cannabis industry is “still a maturing market.”

“This continued growth confirms that Massachusetts’ regulated marijuana industry is still a maturing market,” said the acting CCC Chair Ava Concepcion.

“As more retailers and delivery licensees come online, flower prices start to stabilize, and the stigma surrounding cannabis slowly dissipates — legal, tested products are becoming more accessible, affordable, and approachable than ever before, and that’s reflected in the multiple sales records licensees broke in 2023.” — Concepcion, via Boston 25 News

Massachusetts voters approved cannabis legalization in 2016 and the state’s adult-use industry was launched in 2018. Sales have continued to grow each year and the state is on track to surpass more than $6 billion in total adult-use cannabis sales sometime this year.

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Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission in Turmoil as Managers Suspended

12/15/2023

According to a report by WBUR, Boston’s NPR office, the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is in a state of turmoil following the suspension of two top managers, Cedric Sinclair and Justin Shrader, earlier this month. This upheaval adds to the agency’s challenges, which include the suspension of its chair, Shannon O’Brien. Shrader has since resigned, and his position is now advertised on the commission’s job board, the report states.

The reasons behind the suspensions remain undisclosed, with the commission declining to comment beyond saying they do not discuss internal personnel matters. Neither Sinclair nor Shrader were willing to discuss the situation with reporters.

This comes in the wake of former executive director Shawn Collins stepping down and O’Brien’s legal battle against a review of her suspension, related to allegations of making racist comments and mishandling staff interactions. Specifically, an internal investigation found O’Brien had used the word “yellow” in reference to an Asian person, among other problematic interactions. In a court filing, O’Brien says her words were taken out of context and that she is being denied due process.

These events highlight significant management issues within the commission, responsible for overseeing the state’s $5 billion cannabis industry.

Lawmakers, including State Sen. Michael Moore, are calling for an oversight hearing to address these concerns, pointing to a disconnect between the commission’s staff and board and the need for organizational reform. The situation is further complicated by key vacancies in the commission and a reported delay in communicating critical incidents to the board.

In a statement cited by WBUR, Moore said, “the management staff overseeing the commission, the agency, is in disarray […] We need an oversight hearing. We need to find out what’s going on, what’s taken place.”

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