Massachusetts may have Legalized Marijuana Retail Sales, but that didn’t spell an end to the trouble surrounding the sale of the controversial substance. Most recently, Massachusetts’ Cannabis Control Commission has been grappling with intense political opposition from critics of marijuana’s legalization, but its chairman remains confident that marijuana sales will begin seamlessly on their scheduled July 11st target date.
Whether marijuana can be legally sold in retail stores has already been decided, but the specific regulations surrounding its sale remain anything but final; while Massachusetts’ Cannabis Commission has already rolled out preliminary rules, according to The Cannabist, there remains bitter contention over the specific language of the regulations that will govern sales.
Bitter contention over regulations
Currently, draft regulations assert that legislation governing the retail sales of marijuana could include provisions allowing such things as the home delivery of cannabis or consumption of marijuana on-site in stores, amidst other things, per the Berkshire Eagle. Opponents of legalized marijuana are seeking more stringent controls over its sale, however, and Steven Hoffman, chairman of the Cannabis Commission, is ready and willing to hear their feedback.
"I think the process is working exactly the way it should, which is that we put our draft regulations out, we're getting feedback and comments from elected officials, from industry groups, from advocacy groups, and we're going to go and meet in public again," Chairman Hoffman told the Eagle, before going on to say his commission would be making further modifications to the draft regulations before submitting a finalized list to the public.
Critics fight on-site consumption
Critics of marijuana’s legalization may not be satisfied unless concrete results are curbing specific sales, as you see in Nevada when you visit a Las Vegas dispensary, are reached. However. Republican Governor Charlie Baker, for instance, has lobbied intensely against proposed “Cannabis Cafés” that would allow on-site consumption of the substance, for instance.
Licensing retail stores to allow on-site consumption may generate a lot of impaired drivers, the governor’s administration claimed, according to Leafly, and would present many regulatory issues. The Commission will be examining those and other claims and will have to contend with concerns from other local politicians, too.
State legislators haven’t hesitated to get involved in regulating Massachusetts’ cannabis laws, for instance, and commission members may need to expect additional changes to the law that set up the legalization of marijuana.
According to WBUR News, state legislators have already made changes to the voter-passed law, and aren’t against weighing in on the process again.
Massachusetts’ marijuana industry may yet grow into the billion-dollar industry its proponents are hoping to create, but residents of the Bay State shouldn’t expect major progress anytime soon. Until marijuana hits retail shelves on June 1st, residents can expect more deliberation surrounding and changes to Massachusetts’ cannabis laws.
