Forums “intended to … hear from members of the public regarding their proposed revisions”
With Massachusetts regulators voting to scrap a social consumption pilot program last month in an attempt to streamline the process of licensing lounges and other such businesses, the Cannabis Control Commission is now taking its next steps to figure out how this is all going to work.
The CCC’s Social Consumption Regulatory Working Group, which is led by Commissioners Nurys Camargo and Bruce Stebbins, has already been consulting experts and potential license holders, and this week announced that they will additionally “host three public Listening Sessions this summer for interested stakeholders to provide input into the Commonwealth’s developing Social Consumption license and regulations.” The dates and places are as follows:
Tuesday, June 27, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
- Holyoke Community College, 303 Homestead Ave, Holyoke, MA 01040 in the Kittredge Center’s Peoples Bank Conference Room
Tuesday, July 18, 2023, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
- Virtual via Zoom. Register to participate here: Eventbrite.com | Public Listening Session on Social Consumption
Thursday, July 20, 2023, from 6-8 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
- Mass Bay Community College, 50 Oakland Street Wellesley, MA 02481 in the Library Atrium
More info from the CCC below:
Please note: Commissioners will not be answering questions at the Listening Sessions. These forums are intended to enable the Social Consumption Regulatory Working Group to hear from members of the public regarding their proposed revisions to the existing Social Consumption license and regulations. All attendees will be asked to sign up in advance and allotted three minutes to provide feedback. To accommodate as many speakers as possible, individuals who represent the same entity or organization may be asked to deliver their remarks together as a panel.
Those who cannot attend an in-person or virtual Listening Session may still submit written comments to the Commission by emailing Commission@CCCMass.com with “Social Consumption Regulatory Working Group” in the subject line. Any materials sent to the Commission may be subject to disclosure in response to a public records request pursuant to the Public Records laws, G.L. c.4 §7 cl. 26 and G.L. c.66 §10.
These Listening Sessions are offered as an opportunity for the Social Consumption Regulatory Working Group to hear from stakeholders prior to drafting new policies. After draft regulations are prepared and published, there will be notice of a formal public comment period as an opportunity to provide additional feedback.
“The Social Consumption Regulatory Working Group looks forward to hearing constituents’ thoughts and ideas as the agency continues its regulatory review and rewriting process,” commissioners wrote in a statement.
