Equitable Opportunities Now
In response to a request for informal public comments, EON submitted the following letter to the Cannabis Control Commission highlighting the many commendable components of its draft social consumption regulations and the process of developing them, and detailing opportunities to strengthen the proposed framework for this new subsector of the cannabis industry.
Social equity businesses, small operators, consumers, patients, and advocates are encouraged to speak out and help protect those most harmed by the war on drugs from large predatory businesses trying to take over 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.”
The Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) will host a Public Listening Session on Independent Testing Laboratories (ITLs) and related matters on November 7, 2024
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.
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.
Today is Election Day in Massachusetts, and polls are open until 8 PM!
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…
Last week, MSO lobbyists and a few politically connected operators tried to change the rules so that the biggest, most profitable companies could get even more of the Commonwealth’s cannabis industry.
MSO lobbyists are no match for the power of your voice. Thanks to supporters like you who spoke up to protect competition and equity in the Massachusetts cannabis industry, the proposal was defeated — for now.
“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.”