‘Policymakers and entrepreneurs to discuss how to protect competition and local independent small businesses’
Earlier this week, the group Equitable Opportunities Now announced that it was heading to Beacon Hill on Wednesday, “as the Legislature weighs major changes that could reshape who controls Massachusetts’ cannabis market.” The plan brought state Sen. Liz Miranda and EON there to host a legislative breakfast briefing “to examine how policy decisions can promote—or undermine—competition and equity in the industry.”
“When Massachusetts legalized cannabis, we promised that this industry would help repair the harms of the War on Drugs and create opportunity for the communities most impacted,” Sen. Miranda said in a prepared statement. Miranda represents Boston’s Second Suffolk District and serves as Chair of the Senate’s Racial Equity, Civil Rights & Inclusion Committee and Vice Chair of the Children, Families & Persons with Disabilities Committee. She added: “We must keep that promise by protecting competition, supporting local ownership, and centering equity in every decision.”
The media release continued: “The briefing comes as Senators develop reforms to strengthen the industry after the Massachusetts House passed a bill that would allow the largest, most profitable cannabis companies in Massachusetts to double the number of stores they own and to own up to 35% of an unlimited number of additional stores.”
Armani White, owner of Firehouse Dispensary and EON board member, added: “Social equity licensees have shown that local ownership can succeed when given a fair chance. … We need policies that strengthen — not stifle — those opportunities. This briefing is about bringing people together to build a more inclusive and sustainable cannabis economy.”
“According to an EON review of 112 written and oral comments, social equity businesses oppose the proposed ownership changes by an 18-to-1 margin, and industry leaders overall oppose them by a 5-to-1 ratio.”
“The decisions made in the coming months will decide whether Massachusetts’ cannabis market remains open to small entrepreneurs or becomes dominated by a few large corporations,” EON Co-Founder and Executive Director Shanel Lindsay added. “By working together, lawmakers, regulators, and business leaders can ensure this industry continues creating good jobs, reinvesting in local communities, and advancing economic opportunity for those most harmed by prohibition.”
Speakers included “social equity licensees, industry advocates, and policy experts discussing the state of the industry and pathways to ensure small and locally owned businesses remain competitive.”
