“Cannabis Control Commission files draft regulations with Secretary of the Commonwealth ahead of Sept. 8 hearing”
The new proposed changes for Massachusetts cannabis regulations have not come easily. Rather, members of the Cannabis Control Commission have bickered relentlessly, as complaints of how they conduct business and even accusations of foul play on the testing front have racked the agency for months.
At the same time, the CCC has managed to get a lot accomplished through a tiring array of public meetings and info solicitations from various stakeholders. And now, with a November deadline approaching by which time they must put certain changes into effect per state law, regulators have arrived at the next step. Here’s the latest via the commission:
The Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) has filed draft regulations with the Secretary of the Commonwealth with proposed changes for Massachusetts’ legal industry, including the agency’s oversight of host community agreements (HCAs), municipal equity requirements, and suitability reform, in accordance with Chapter 180 of the Acts of 2022, An Act Relative to Equity in the Cannabis Industry.
During public meetings on July 27 and July 28, Commissioners deliberated and proposed edits to the draft regulations, before voting 4-0 to approve them. Copies that have since been filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth can be found in the public documents section of the Commission’s website.
Constituents will be able to submit feedback through written comments as well as oral testimony at a hybrid public hearing on Friday, September 8, starting at 10 a.m. In-person participation will be available at the Commission’s headquarters at Union Station, 2 Washington Square in Worcester, and virtual attendees may view the hearing using Microsoft Teams Live. Constituents may sign up in advance or send comments to Commission@CCCMass.com through September 8. A link for virtual speakers will be provided to those who sign up online.
These draft regulations are a result of months of work by Commissioners and staff on regulatory working groups. Proposed revisions include new parameters for the local contracts that host cities and towns must enter with Marijuana Establishments and Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers to site such facilities, otherwise known as HCAs, and local policies that communities must implement to comply with the state’s mandate to ensure equity in Massachusetts’ regulated marketplace.
Other proposals seek to eliminate disqualifications that prevent prospective Registered Agents from employment in the legal industry, and expand to all cities and towns in the Commonwealth the ability to opt-in to hosting Social Consumption Establishments.
Following Commission meetings to discuss and approve the final regulations in September, the final versions will be filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office no later than October 13, with the aim of promulgation by November 9, in compliance with Chapter 180.
For more info you can visit masscannabiscontrol.com or email at commission@cccmass.com.
