THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ votes on roll calls from the week of June 2-6. There were no roll calls in the Senate last week.
REGULATE CANNABIS (H 4187) – House 153-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that makes several changes to the state’s cannabis laws that supporters say would allow the cannabis industry to continue growing responsibly.
The bill makes changes to the structure of the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), increases the number of retail licenses that an entity may have, lowers the barrier to entry for medical marijuana retail, increases purchase limits for consumers and patients and addresses the selling of hemp products.
The bill creates an oversight structure for the importation, manufacture and sale of two forms of consumable federally legal hemp products: hemp beverages and consumable CBD products. Under the bill, both products may only be sold if registered with the CCC.
The bill instructs the CCC to develop regulations for hemp product registration that aligns with regulations for marijuana products, including a prohibition on any product containing synthetic cannabinoids.
Other provisions include increasing the purchase and possession limit from one to two ounces of marijuana; increasing from two ounces to three ounces the possession limit that would result in a civil penalty or drug awareness programming for those under 21; restructuring the CCC by making the governor the sole appointing authority – replacing current law which gives that authority to the trio of the governor, treasurer and attorney general; and requiring the chair of the CCC to serve conterminously with the governor.
The bill also incrementally raises from three to six the limit on the number of retail licenses any individual or entity may hold and requires that priority consideration for licenses be given to social equity businesses, minority businesses, woman businesses and veteran businesses.
“This legislation not only makes needed changes to the structure of the Cannabis CCC, it’s also representative of the House’s commitment to ensuring that the cannabis industry in Massachusetts is regulated in a manner that bolsters economic opportunity, especially for communities that were disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of marijuana,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy).
