While the Cannabis Control Commission is required to make sure that people affected most by the past prohibition of marijuana and war on drugs are included in the state’s legal market, municipalities have no such requirements, Chairman Steve Hoffman told Boston Public Radio on Monday.
Hoffman and Executive Director Shawn Collins sent a letter to the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy on Feb. 27, asking that cities and towns have the same equity requirements as the state does through their various equity programs that aim to ensure diversity in the industry.
"We're asking (the legislature) to impose the same mandates on cities and towns," he said. "We're going to be careful here, Massachusetts has a very long and rich tradition of local control, and that is going to be reflected in all legislation, we're not saying here's the way you should tell cities and towns how to do it, but putting the same mandate on them with respect to cities and towns we think would benefit the entire state in terms of accomplishing the objectives that are in the legislation."
A recent WGBH News review of agreements between potential shop operators and municipalities — a requirement to complete the approval process from the state to open their doors — found that some agreements contained fees and conditions well above the standard payments.
In some cases, the request for more than the standard fees came from the town officials, but sometimes large companies would offer more money to make their application more appealing to local officials.
The effect, according to the WGBH News report, is that bigger businesses seem to be getting licenses first, leaving smaller applicants and those in the state's equity programs waiting.
