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What Beacon Hill's marijuana reform deal means for Mass. customers, dispensaries and regulators
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
It's one last gasp of winter today, with potential for some ambient snow showers. (If you're ready for spring, take a peek at this weekend's forecast.)
But first, the news:
Weed all about it: Massachusetts lawmakers have a deal on the biggest marijuana industry reform bill since adult-use dispensaries first opened in the state. After the House and Senate each passed slightly different bills last year, negotiators announced yesterday that they ironed out the differences. The 32-page compromise comes after a rocky year for pot shops — and several rocky years for the Cannabis Control Commission, the state agency tasked with overseeing the young industry. "This legislation recognizes that our cannabis industry has matured and that our regulatory framework must evolve along with it," state Sen. Adam Gómez said during a meeting yesterday to finalize the deal before negotiators send it to the House, Senate and, eventually, Gov. Maura Healey for final approval. Here what it's set to do:
- For individuals: The bill raises how much recreational marijuana a person can legally buy in a single transaction and possess in public from 1 ounce to 2 ounces. (Even with lower prices these days, that's more than $200 worth of cannabis.) It also tells the CCC to figure out what the equivalent of 2 ounces is for cannabis concentrate.
- For recreational dispensaries: The bill allows a single company to own up to six licenses — up from the previous three-license cap. Following a year of plummeting pot prices and record dispensary closures, lawmakers say increasing the limit will allow businesses to "spread overhead costs across more stores." However, small businesses have expressed worry it will lead to big business dominating an industry that was intended to help the little guy.
- For medical dispensaries: The bill gets rid of a rule that medical marijuana dispensaries have to grow their own supply. It also limits granting new medical marijuana licenses to businesses in the state's social equity program for the next two years.
- For the CCC itself: Perhaps the biggest change of all, the bill calls for the current five-member board to be replaced by a three-member board — and gives the governor the sole power to appoint all three members. (Currently, that power is split between the governor, treasurer and attorney general, and it's led to lots of drama.) Supporters say the restructuring would make the CCC more like the state's Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission. To clear up confusion, the bill also clarifies that the CCC's executive director reports to the commission's chair.
- Go deeper: There's a lot of other changes in the bill, from loosening rules on seed sales to hemp regulation to in-store dispensary advertising. Click here for a summary of the bill, or read the full 32 pages here.
Meanwhile on Beacon Hill: Lawmakers are suddenly making moves to restrict social media access for teens. House leaders announced yesterday that they plan to vote this Wednesday on a two-pronged bill that would not only restrict student cellphone use in schools but also require social media companies to prohibit users below the age of 14 in Massachusetts. (It would also require "verifiable parental consent" for 14- and 15-year-olds to set up a social media account.)
- Healey is also planning to unveil her own bill with "strong protections for teens on social media," as she first teased during her State of the Commonwealth speech in January. Healey was set to announce the bill Tuesday but announced this morning that the press conference had been postponed.
Drumroll, please: The MBTA revealed yesterday that tickets for the special Boston-to-Foxborough trains for World Cup games this summer will cost... $80. That's four times the usual cost for Patriots trains (and about one-tenth the price of the cheapest ticket to the actual games at Gillette Stadium on the resale market right now).
- Psst: Train tickets for the first five matches at Gillette go on sale this Wednesday (that's tomorrow) at 11 a.m. on the mTicket app. T officials suggest buying them "as early as possible" due to expected demand.
Tap and SNAP: Massachusetts plans to launch new chip-enabled EBT cards later this year, allowing people to tap-to-pay with their food benefits. Healey says the pilot will protect against SNAP theft and fraud, even if it's already rare. Massachusetts will be just the third state in the country to try out the upgraded tech for EBT cards.
P.S. — You may have noticed we sent yesterday's WBUR Today newsletter under the Mass. Politics newsletter name. That was a technical mistake! You weren't subscribed to a new newsletter; this is still WBUR Today. Apologies for any confusion. (However, if you'd like to subscribe to Mass. Politics, we should have some news about the return of that newsletter soon.)
