The Transportation Security Administration has a message for marijuana consumers: We won’t look for your pot, but if we find it, we can’t ignore it either. It’s a clarification the federal agency wanted to make clear as more states legalize marijuana in some form. “Are we cool? We like to think we’re cool. We want […]
massachusetts marijuana
Home delivery of marijuana could start in Massachusetts this year
Home delivery of recreational marijuana could debut in Massachusetts later this year, after regulators reached agreement on a program that would increase consumer access to cannabis while also giving a leg up to entrepreneurs affected by the war on drugs. The state Cannabis Control Commission voted 4-1 at a meeting Friday in favor of a […]
Marijuana is legal in Massachusetts, but your boss doesn’t have to allow it — yet
Using marijuana is legal in Massachusetts — but that doesn’t mean your boss has to allow it. Business advocates say company policies about marijuana use are currently all over the map. But a bill sponsored by Sen. Jason Lewis, D-Winchester, would change that. Lewis’ bill, S.978, would forbid employers from penalizing or discriminating against an employee […]
1st Massachusetts farmers moving toward approval to grow marijuana outdoors
So far, all the marijuana sold in Massachusetts’ legal market has been grown indoors. But that could change. The Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday approved the first two provisional licenses for companies that plan to grow marijuana outdoors in the Berkshires. The licenses went to Theory Wellness and BCWC, both medical marijuana companies that are […]
N.Y. medical marijuana maker expands into Massachusetts recreational market
Vireo Health, a maker of medical marijuana in New York, is expanding into the recreational marijuana market with the $10 million acquisition this week of a Massachusetts firm. The company bought Mayflower Botanicals Inc., a registered marijuana dispensary certificate holder in Massachusetts. As part of the transaction, Vireo acquired 73 acres of land in rural New Bedford, […]
Massachusetts marijuana advisory board says state should allow cannabis cafes
The advisory board to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is backing the creation of cannabis cafes and pot-consumption events, voting unanimously for the state to develop regulations around the licenses. The vote is a promising step forward for advocates who have pressed for the state to begin licensing places where people can consume marijuana on-site, […]
1st legal marijuana stores are open in Massachusetts, but industry is far from mature
After years of preparation and debate, legal marijuana is now a reality in Massachusetts. Any adult can walk into a store, pay cash and walk out with a joint, which they can smoke, legally, in their home. But the roll-out of the first marijuana stores is only the beginning. In the coming year, marijuana entrepreneurs […]
Massachusetts marijuana: Sales hit $23.8 million in first two months of open retail pot shops
In the first two months of recreational marijuana sales in Massachusetts, pot shops took in nearly $24 million in sales, according to data released by state regulators. The Cannabis Control Commission, the state’s marijuana regulatory agency, released the figures this week. Massachusetts opened the first retail pot shops east of the Mississippi in late November. […]
Committee recommends allowing marijuana home delivery in Massachusetts
Despite concerns about robberies and security, a state committee recommended that Massachusetts grant licenses to companies to deliver marijuana. The question surrounds “delivery-only” licenses, in which the Cannabis Control Commission would let a company form a business and obtain a license to deliver marijuana from a retail store to a customer’s home. Walpole Police Chief […]
What is Massachusetts planning to do with all that marijuana tax revenue?
In a recent interview, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he hoped the the tax revenue from marijuana in Massachusetts would be worth the “human toll.” Walsh, who opposed the 2016 state ballot measure to legalize the drug for recreational use, later explained that he hoped the money would be devoted toward initiatives that promote public health and safe […]
Massachusetts marijuana retail shops’ rollout going ‘mostly according to plan,’ Gov. Charlie Baker says
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker says he’s satisfied with the rollout of the state’s first recreational marijuana retail stores. “I think it’s gone what I would describe, I guess, as mostly according to plan, which is a good thing,” Baker told MassLive. Two stores, Cultivate in Leicester and New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Northampton, opened […]
While marijuana sales begin in Massachusetts, could New York next?
If New York chooses to follow Massachusetts’ lead on recreational marijuana, Tuesday provided a window in to what it might see. Hundreds of people swarmed the New England Treatment Access store on Tuesday morning as Massachusetts became the first state on the East Coast to legalize the sale of recreational marijuana. The store is one […]
Recreational marijuana sales to begin in Massachusetts Tuesday and the first two customers have already been selected
The first two retail marijuana shops in Massachusetts are set to begin selling products to the public Tuesday, marking the first time recreational pot will be sold east of the Mississippi. The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission has given the green light to Cultivate Holdings, LLC, which has a retail shop in Leicester, and New England Treatment […]
The first Massachusetts marijuana retail shops are finally opening; Here’s what you should know
Retail stores that sell recreational marijuana are anticipated to open in Massachusetts. More than two years after Bay State voters approved a ballot question broadly legalizing recreational marijuana, state regulators have provided final sign-offs to the stores, and all that’s left is the “commence operations” notice. The specific opening dates are still unclear. It’s a […]
Banking Evolution
The cannabis industry is evolving rapidly and so should your perception of banking. I recently attended the Second Annual State of the Cannabis Industry Conference, in Massachusetts. The event was organized by the cannabis law practice of Burns & Levinson and by Viridian Capital Advisors, a financial advisory firm dedicated to the cannabis industry, with […]
It Will Be ‘Years’ Before Marijuana Cafes Open In Massachusetts, Regulators Say
The days when marijuana users will be able to congregate at an establishment in Massachusetts and socially consume the drug are years away, cannabis regulators said Tuesday, and it is likely that any social consumption will be limited to vaping and edibles. The Cannabis Control Commission has the authority under the 2016 voter law legalizing adult-use […]
Why can’t Massachusetts medical marijuana labs also test recreational?
By early next month, it will be two years since Massachusetts voters declared they wanted marijuana legalized for recreational use by approving a ballot question. But not one recreational marijuana shop has been permitted to open. State law requires samples be tested to ensure that marijuana products are safe to ingest. A big reason for the […]
Slow rollout on retail marijuana is shrinking Massachusetts’ estimated taxes, advocates say
Saying Massachusetts has missed out on $16 million in marijuana taxes, officials behind the 2016 legal marijuana ballot question on Monday pointed to staffing levels and bureaucracy at the Cannabis Control Commission as potential reasons for the slow rollout of retail sales in Massachusetts. “The Cannabis Control Commission needs to pick up the pace,” Will […]
