Equitable Opportunities Now
Eight years after Massachusetts voters passed a ballot law legalizing the adult use of marijuana, state legislators are exploring whether there are ways to make the cannabis regulatory system work better for businesses, consumers and others involved in the industry.
Donahue asked several of the people and groups that were invited to testify Wednesday (the CCC was not invited to testify) whether they thought that the statutory structure of the CCC contributed to the issues they raised. He asked about how other state cannabis oversight agencies are structured and whether moving the CCC under an executive office might make sense.
That idea would be a non-starter for Kevin Gilnack, the policy co-chair for Equitable Opportunities Now, though he did agree that “recent events obviously have highlighted the need for some potential clarification and enhancements of the CCC’s authorizing statute.”
Massachusetts business owners, industry trade groups, and advocates ask lawmakers to reform the Cannabis Control Commission…
A debate over the cap on weed permits has sparked worries about broken promises to entrepreneurs of color and fears of a marijuana monopoly
The group Equitable Opportunities Now, which “educates and empowers people of color to become active participants in the Massachusetts legal cannabis market,” is on top of the situation, and has sent two letters to Beacon Hill lawmakers this month outlining the situation as well as the stakes.
Members of Equitable Opportunities Now, an organization that supports people of color becoming active in the cannabis industry, praised the commission for its focus in reviewing and passing the regulations despite facing massive challenges…
Even with all of the rigmarole surrounding regulators at the moment, some advocates and watchdogs went out of their way to praise the body this past week. The group Equitable Opportunities Now, which “educates and empowers people of color to become active participants in the Massachusetts legal cannabis market,” said the new “HCA and municipal equity rules will create new opportunities for communities harmed by the war on drugs.”
The investments and policy decisions we make now will have a lasting impact on whether we create a truly equitable industry.
Are we equitably reinvesting cannabis revenue in communities harmed by the war on drugs?
State House News Service Reporter Chris Linski provided great wire coverage of the CCC’s decision to eliminate the existing social consumption pilot program and focus on long-term, statewide, comprehensive regulations, […]