The Cannabis Control Commission expedited its regulatory process on Wednesday to meet a deadline embedded in a law overhauling the state’s marijuana industry.
Under the law, the CCC had until June 19 to promulgate regulations raising the cap on the number of licenses cannabis retailers can hold from three store licenses to six. To meet the deadline, commissioners unanimously voted to adopt an emergency set of regulations that put the policies into effect immediately. Under the emergency regulatory process, commissioners will file the regulations with the Secretary of State’s office and they will be in effect for three months while the CCC gathers public input.
The regulations specify that for the first 12 months they’re in place, only social equity businesses are eligible to get up to six retail licenses and non-social equity businesses can hold up to five retail licenses. Also, a single licensee can hold up to three fully integrated medical marijuana licenses. The amount of financial interest an individual can hold before it counts to the license cap is raised from 10 percent to 20 percent. That’s as long as the licensee doesn’t have direct or indirect control over the business.
Also, while the law’s increase in purchase limits – rising from one ounce to two ounces of marijuana – went into effect immediately, commissioners formally updated regulations to reflect that change.
CCC Chair Chris Harding said the updated regulations are “just the beginning of a comprehensive policymaking process that will unfold over the next year.”
“Ten years after voters approved an adult-use cannabis market in Massachusetts, today’s update and those coming in the future will ensure access to a safe, equitable cannabis industry for consumers, patients, business leaders, and taxpayers well into the future,” he said in a statement.
Commissioners plan to hold a public hearing on the regulations on July 30. Written feedback will also be accepted from July 3 to July 30.
The CCC also said that once the emergency regulatory process is complete it will “continue to update internal infrastructure” before accepting new applications related to the higher license cap. Commissioners anticipate updating regulations again in the fall to deal with other cannabis reform law policies.
