MA: Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Update December 2018

Massachusetts’ adult-use cannabis industry is officially open for business. Last month, the Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) authorized Cultivate Holdings, LLC and New England Treatment Access, LLC to commence operations for the first legal adult-use marijuana sales on the East Coast. Since then, three more retail establishments have received their commence operations notices from the Commission. Visit our licensing page for details on all of the marijuana establishments that have commenced operations.

Every one of us at the Commission takes pride in progress we have made over the past year, but we also acknowledge that much of the hard work has just begun. Plenty of challenges remain, including:

• The ongoing and sustained prevention of diversion to youth, across state lines, and to or from the illicit market;
• Ensuring patients continue to have uninterrupted access to the medicine they need;
• Getting more banks, credit unions, and financial institutions involved with a growing industry that remains illegal at the federal level;
• Continuing to establish the Commission’s ambitious, robust, and vital research agenda to bring facts and stats to a fiercely debated subject;
• Working with the Special Commission on Operating Under the Influence and Impaired Driving to evaluate the best approaches to prevent and deter impaired driving, as well as methods to detect impairment in motorists;
• Collaborating with our partners on the Cannabis Advisory Board, other state agencies, and a myriad of stakeholders to ensure we continue to support one another in pursuit of the best and most effective regulatory scheme for the Commonwealth; and
• Building a diverse industry that represents and reflects the people of Massachusetts and prioritizes those who have been disproportionately harmed by previous drug laws.

That’s a tall order, and one we know that can only be tackled through significant collaboration. We will not make the important progress needed on these issues without seeking your feedback and participation. By working together, we will be able to build the agency, and the industry, that Massachusetts can be proud of.

Thank you for following the work of our Commission. We are excited to see what the future holds. Wishing you and your family the best in the New Year.