Cannabis Control Commission Regulatory Advocacy

EON has been proud to partner with applicants, operators, community leaders, and activists to advance a CCC regulatory agenda that prioritizes the Commonwealth’s focus on fostering equitable participation by increasing opportunities and support for cannabis social equity businesses and eliminating unnecessary barriers.

Read our latest CCC advocacy news…

• State lawmakers weigh independence, structure of Cannabis Control Commission as they consider reforms | GBH News
  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.
• Does the Cannabis Control Commission need legislative intervention? | State House News / NBC 10 Boston
  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.”
• Cannabis Industry Stakeholders Unload Concerns At Beacon Hill Hearing | Talking Joints Memo
  Massachusetts business owners, industry trade groups, and advocates ask lawmakers to reform the Cannabis Control Commission…
• Public Comments to Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy Regarding the Cannabis Control Commission
  On Wednesday, Oct. 30, representatives from EON and our Massachusetts Cannabis Equity Council were invited to testify before the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy regarding governance and operational issues at the Cannabis Control Commission. Check out remarks from EON Policy Co-Chair Kevin Gilnack, Zèb Boutique Owner Drudys Ledbetter, and Dris Brands Owner Chris Fevry in the hearing video and read our full letter to the Committee below.
• Public comments regarding Independent Testing Labs, Third Party Transporters, and the need to avoid delay of delivery regulatory changes
  We are writing to express concern that ongoing deliberations regarding changes to the third-party transporter and Independent Testing Lab (ITL) should not cause any further delay in advancing these critical and overdue changes for equity businesses, microbusinesses, and patients.
• Poll: Share your thoughts about the CCC
  Equitable Opportunities Now is honored to have been invited to testify before the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy about the Cannabis Control Commission. Help us represent you and your concerns by sharing your feedback now!
• CCC to Host Public Listening Session on Independent Testing Laboratories on November 7
  The Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) will host a Public Listening Session on Independent Testing Laboratories (ITLs) and related matters on November 7, 2024
• Public Comments Regarding Delivery, Microbusiness, & Telehealth CCC Regulations
  Equitable Opportunities Now’s (EON) board and staff; our network of grassroots activists, consumers, patients, entrepreneurs, and workers; the social equity business leaders in our Massachusetts Cannabis Equity Council (MCEC); and the undersigned delivery operators commend you for your ongoing efforts to enhance your regulations. Given both the industry and regulatory framework are still young and evolving, we deeply appreciate your openness to engaging stakeholders and reviewing regulations that can better balance flexibility, access, profitability, health, safety, and equity. We hope that you find the following public comments regarding your proposed regulatory changes helpful and welcome the opportunity to discuss them further.
• Speak out for Black & Brown cannabis delivery operators
  Cannabis delivery licenses are exclusively available to people from communities harmed by the war on drugs. But these local small businesses owned by Black, Brown, low-income, and previously arrested people have been held back by burdensome regulations. Thanks to advocacy from delivery businesses and advocates like you, the CCC is on the verge of passing… Read more: Speak out for Black & Brown cannabis delivery operators
• POLL: Help us get social consumption right in Massachusetts!
  Social consumption licenses are a new frontier for advancing equitable economic opportunity in the Commonwealth’s cannabis industry — and your input is critical to make sure we get it right.
• Mass. Cannabis Equity Leaders Call for Investigation into Alleged License Cap Violations
  More than a dozen cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensary owners, along with BECMA and EON, are raising concerns about repeated reports that owners of Ascend Wellness — a large, multistate operator founded and headquartered in Massachusetts — have violated the Commonwealth’s ownership limits.
• Cannabis equity end-of-session priorities: Expand medical access & equity and reject changes to license caps & CCC receivership
  Equitable Opportunities Now submitted the following letter to Massachusetts legislators expressing our deep appreciation for their support, highlighting widely-supported bills, opposing changes to license caps, and opposing putting the Cannabis Control Commission into receivership…
• EON’s Comments to DEA on Need to Deschedule Marijuana
  Rescheduling marijuana to Schedule III is not enough. Marijuana must be removed from the CSA and should be federally regulated for both medical and adult use.  Rescheduling does not address the challenges and injustices that must be reckoned with…
• Cannabis equity businesses and Equitable Opportunities Now team up to oppose license cap changes & address industry challenges
  “The Commonwealth’s license cap is vital to protecting a competitive market and our legally mandated mission to foster equitable participation in this new market,” said EON Policy Co-Chair and MCEC founding member Armani White, who owns provisionally licensed Firehouse. “With lobbyists and lawyers for large multistate operators working with a handful of business leaders to undermine small business protections, it’s vital for cannabis equity businesses to have a voice in the policymaking process.”
• CCC Accepting Applications for Next Executive Director until June 15
  The Cannabis Control Commission has launched its search for a new executive director. Learn more and spread the word to encourage talented, diverse candidates to apply!