“A chance to modernize what has become an unnecessarily burdensome process and to align cannabis licensing with other professions where Massachusetts has already refined credentialing.”
Last week, we covered the leadup to and testimonies given at a hearing held by the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Cannabis. In the wake of that consequential event, we are also publishing some letters that people submitted to the legislature on a range of issues. Below is the testimony of Charlie Yon, the chief of staff for Native Sun, who spoke about the “unnecessarily burdensome” and costly process of securing badges for cannabis industry workers.
According to the Cannabis Control Commission, every individual who is approved to work for a CCC licensee has a “unique industry identification number” for “each licensed establishment at which they are employed.” But that means an individual may need a flurry of badges—separate laminates—for entering different sections, buildings, verticals, and locations of a workplace. Yon spoke in support of multiple measures that could simplify the requirement. -TJM Editors
Chairman Gomez, Chairman Donahue, and Honorable Members of the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy:
Good day, and thank you. My name is Charlie Yon. I live in Holliston and serve as Chief of Staff for Native Sun Holdings, a vertically integrated Massachusetts cannabis company with adult use retail facilities in Hudson, North Attleboro and South Boston and adult use cultivation and product manufacturing in Fitchburg and a proud member of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition.
I am here to offer my testimony in support of the agent registration card bills: H148, S80, H171, and S75.
This proposed legislation streamlines the agent registration process by establishing a single, transferable employee badge that is valid across all licensed facilities and extending its renewal period to six years.
As the person responsible for all agent registration cards at Native Sun – from application to renewal to surrender – I am intimately familiar with how this system works, and where it doesn’t.
I believe the 194th General Court has a real opportunity to simplify this system in a way that benefits everyone in Massachusetts.
For the sake of the individuals and businesses who make this industry possible, and the Commission that regulates it, I ask you to consider this appeal, grounded in simplicity and utility.
These proposed reforms offer a chance to modernize what has become an unnecessarily burdensome process and to align cannabis licensing with other professions where Massachusetts has already refined credentialing such as Healthcare, Education, and the Trades.
In Massachusetts, nurses, teachers and electricians maintain a single license while cannabis workers may need to hold up to nine licenses for just one employer.
The legislation before you presents an opportunity to effectuate irrefutably meaningful change. A single, transferable badge would increase job mobility for individual agents, reduce administrative burden, and save both businesses and regulators time and money.
In an industry already strained by countless small burdens, this legislation presents a rare opportunity for significant relief—a potential lifeline for businesses and entrepreneurs on the brink.
I respectfully ask for your support of these bills – for the good of the Massachusetts cannabis industry. I am grateful for the opportunity to testify before you today, thank you.
