The secretary of the commonwealth now has forms available to get the question on your local ballot
Social consumption. It’s kind of all the rage in Massachusetts cannabis. While some businessfolk are unsure of how to forge a sustainable model in the nascent cottage industry built on the quicksand that is already the Bay State legal market, others are anxious to take the plunge, while consumers are legitimately thrilled to have venues where they can smoke and possibly enjoy a bowtied budtender providing a variety of glass pieces and dab rigs one could only dream of having at home.
(I may be hyper-personalizing a bit, but hopefully you get the picture.)
Nothing is all good in this world though, especially in regulated industries. And so while the Cannabis Control Commission did in fact already deliver regulations for these new license types, the application process hasn’t started yet. A few more pieces need to be pushed into place before hopefuls can enter the gauntlet, and many of the checkpoints are at the municipal level.
Early municipal interest in social consumption
Some cities and towns have been proactive on this front. Following a loose directive from commissioners, places including Worcester, Fitchburg, Somerville, and Haverhill are laying groundwork. And in the Hub, the team at the Boston Equity Program for cannabis businesses focused its annual Cannabis Empowerment Week (which is taking place this week) around social consumption. But in all of these places, the local government has to opt in to welcoming the license type—even if they already allow for dispensaries, cultivation, etc.
Some city councils in progressive areas may jump on board without much pressure. But with social consumption being a relatively new concept with many unknowns, most will likely steer clear of the topic or approach it with hostility. Even in Boston, where the equity office has already spent months clearing paths for these future establishments, several bureaucratic hurdles remain.
There is, however, something that individuals in any town or city in the commonwealth can do in order to bypass those gatekeepers and speed up the process.
How to fast-track social consumption in your town
As Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin explains in a memo titled Petition to Allow On-Premise Consumption of Marijuana Introduction: “General Laws chapter 94G, as amended by chapter 180 of the Acts of 2022, provides a process for local approval of on-premise consumption of marijuana and marijuana products where sold, so-called ‘social consumption’ establishments, or marijuana cafés. …
Furthermore, “The law provides for voters to petition for a ballot question to be placed on a regular municipal or state election ballot. The ballot question, if passed, would allow the on premise consumption of marijuana in the city or town.”
Now pay attention, because this is where it gets a bit confusing: “The law creates two methods of local approval of on-premise marijuana consumption: Adoption of an ordinance or bylaw allowing on-premise consumption of marijuana; OR Approval by the voters at an election.” Here’s the process for the latter:
- For the petition to qualify, a number equivalent to 10% of the number of voters who voted at the last biennial state election in that municipality must be certified on a petition provided by the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Local election officials must certify the signatures within seven days of submission.
- The election at which the question appears on the ballot will depend on the timeframe in which the petition is filed.
From there, “The ballot question presented to the voters must read as follows: Shall [city or town] allow the sale of marijuana and marijuana products, as those terms are defined in section 1 of chapter 94G of the General Laws, for consumption on the premises where sold, a summary of which appears below?”
A real-world example in Haverhill
According to the secretary of the commonwealth, “For placement on a state election ballot, the petition must first be certified by local election officials, and the city or town clerk must provide written notice, including the ballot question and summary, to the Secretary of the Commonwealth no later than the first Wednesday in August before the election.”
The petition forms just recently became available, and that deadline is awfully soon. Still, the team at Stem Haverhill, already known for its anticipatory approach to this license class, will begin to collect signatures today.
Stem has announced publicly plans for the buildout of a lounge near its dispensary in the northern Mass city, including posting videos and pics of the process on Instagram. Their “consumption lounge plans involve transforming a neighboring historic building into a vibrant and welcoming space where customers can legally consume cannabis in a social, safe, and supportive setting.”
And in order to potentially speed up the process, they’re leveraging democracy.
Will Luzier, a longtime Mass cannabis advocate who is working with Stem on the ballot push, told Talking Joints Memo: “If a municipality does not have the political fortitude to allow social consumption in their community, then the petitioning process allows the voters to decide the question of social consumption.”
With 31,591 votes cast in Haverhill in 2024, Stem will need to get at least 3,159 signatures certified to advance to the Nov. 3 election. That’s an upbeat prospect, since pro-cannabis voters will hopefully be flocking to polls to shut down the question to close recreational dispensaries which will appear on the statewide ballot.
