Constituents can provide written comment through Oct. 7, as well as oral testimony at a public hearing scheduled for that Monday
While it’s never fun to be the ones reminding readers that there is still business getting done at the Mass Cannabis Control Commission despite other aspects of the agency experiencing reality show-level drama, that is nevertheless often the case.
And since business and regulation proceed no matter how many hurdles present themselves, and whether the CCC’s axis of nemeses like it or not, as of last week the commission is “soliciting feedback from stakeholders on the agency’s proposed regulatory changes to Microbusinesses, Delivery license types, telehealth options for patients, and prescribing allowances for providers”—all long-simmering issues that impact a wide range of stakeholders.
As noted by the CCC in its public announcement, “These draft changes were unanimously approved by the Commission at the July 19 Public Meeting and subsequently filed with the Secretary of State’s Regulations Division for publication on September 13.”
Talking Joints Memo will continue to follow these developments and changes as they advance. In the meantime, here’s the rest of the advisory:
Constituents will be able to provide written comment from September 16 to October 7, as well as oral testimony at a public hearing scheduled Monday, October 7 at the Commission’s headquarters at Union Station, 2 Washington Square in Worcester. Written submissions should be emailed to Commission@CCCMass.com with “Regulation Comment” in the subject line of the email no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on October 7, 2024.
The proposed regulatory changes include the highly anticipated change to allow delivery licensees the option of delivering marijuana and marijuana products to consumers with one Marijuana Establishment Registered Agent in a vehicle at a time, as opposed to the current requirement of two Agents, when delivering items with total retail value of up to $5,000. Two Agents would still be required to staff vehicles transporting products with a retail value exceeding $5,000 and up to the $10,000 delivery maximum. Under the change, Social Equity Program Participant and Certified Economic Empowerment Priority Applicant businesses with exclusive access to delivery licenses types also would be permitted to hold three Delivery Operator and three Delivery Courier licenses for the first time.
The draft changes also include a proposal to allow Microbusinesses to apply for other license types, such as Retail and Transport licenses; permitting Qualifying Medical Patients to opt-in to utilizing telehealth consultation with a Certifying Healthcare Provider for their initial certification; and giving Nurse Practitioners with independent practices authority to certify Qualifying Patients without a supervising Physician.
Any feedback to the draft regulations should be submitted to the Commission during the specified public comment period, and no later than October 7, 2024. All submissions should include the submitters’ full name, and organization or affiliation, if any. Those received by the deadline will be reviewed by the Commission and may be incorporated into the final version of regulations that will be considered at a forthcoming public meeting. Please be advised that the Commission may publish submissions it receives or produce them in response to a request made under the Massachusetts Public Records Law, M.G.L. c. 66, § 10, or any other compulsory legal processes.
A link to view the October 7 Public Hearing will be published at: https://mass-cannabis-control.com/calendar/. In advance of the public hearing, text of the proposed regulations may be viewed by visiting the “Regulations” section of the Commission’s public documents page at MassCannabisControl.com, requested by emailing Commission@cccmass.com, or by calling the Commission at (774) 415-0200.
