James Paleologopoulos
Boston University Statehouse Program
BOSTON While lawmakers in Connecticut and Rhode Island explore ways to legalize adult-use cannabis and also ensure social equity, regulators in Massachusetts are pushing further with their own programs to enable people disadvantaged by previous marijuana laws to benefit from the economic possibilities offered by legalization.
One bill in Connecticut would create a “social equity council,” as well as a “Cannabis Equity and Innovation Account,” which would fund workforce development programs and offer grants with cash from potential cannabis excise tax revenue.
Meanwhile, a bill in Rhode Island would create a “social equity assistance fund” to provide no-interest loans to business owners affected by past cannabis prohibition laws.
Jennifer Flanagan announces she’s stepping down from Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, ending 25-year career of public service
Updated Apr 13, 2021;
Posted Apr 13, 2021
Jennifer Flanagan’s last day on the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission is April 30. Flanagan previously served as the state senator for the Worcester and Middlesex District. Photo courtesy of Cannabis Control Commission.
Facebook Share
Jennifer Flanagan on Tuesday announced she is stepping down from her seat on the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission this month, ending a 25-year career of public service in the state.
“I really believe that working alongside the inaugural commissioners, former commissioners [Britte] McBride, [Kay] Doyle, [Shaleen] Title, and commissioner [Steven] Hoffman, was something interesting,” Flanagan said in a phone interview. “We literally walked in to day one with nothing but a chair and maybe a pencil. So having created what we did, from the ground up
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, the state regulatory body overseeing the adult-use and medical marijuana cannabis programs, announced on Monday it has revamped its website.
“The commission has accomplished so much in just three years from standing up the region’s first regulated adult-use cannabis industry and opening more than 200 marijuana establishments, to transferring the Medical Use of Marijuana Program and expanding it to approximately 100,000 patients,” said Executive Director Shawn Collins, in a statement. “We have redesigned MassCannabisControl.com to meet the diverse needs of our agency’s numerous constituencies and made it more intuitive and comprehensive of the wide array of resources we offer.”