The Massachusetts House is taking up a major cannabis bill (H.4187) that could devastate small, local, independent, and social equity businesses — and undo years of hard-fought progress toward equity.
If passed as written, the bill would:
- Double the adult-use license cap from 3 to 6
- Allow unlimited 35% ownership stakes in other licenses
- Eliminate required social equity expertise on the Cannabis Control Commission
- Shrink the Commission and slash Commissioners’ time and pay — limiting stakeholder engagement and informed decision-making
This isn’t modernization — it’s consolidation. Without strong safeguards, this bill will open the floodgates for multi-state operators to dominate the market and push out those the law was meant to uplift.
Now is the moment to act!
📣 Tell your Legislators: Protect Cannabis Equity!
We’ve made it easy: Click here to send a personalized message urging support for key amendments that will strengthen oversight, protect equity businesses, and keep ownership within reach for marginalized entrepreneurs.
We’re calling on legislators to support:
- Amendment #27 (Rep. Worrell): Protect competition & equity businesses
- Amendment #30 (Rep. Worrell): Provide immediate relief & create a responsible, inclusive process for evaluating future ownership limit changes
- Amendment #31 (Rep. Worrell): Restore a 5-member, expert-led Cannabis Control Commission
- Amendment #18 (Rep. Vargas) modeled on S.85 (Sen. Kennedy): Improve access to capital through Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund loan guarantees
We’re incredibly grateful to Rep. Worrell and Rep. Vargas for their leadership on these amendments — and we need to make some more noise ASAP for them to have a chance at success!
These commonsense improvements balance urgent relief with long-term equity — and ensure Massachusetts continues leading the nation in cannabis justice.
Speak out today. The future of our cannabis industry depends on it.