Individual cannabis companies would be able to operate up to six stores in Massachusetts, up from the current limit of three, if proposed changes to state marijuana laws are approved.
The overhaul of the rules governing the $1.65 billion market, moving towards finalization in the state General Court, would also eliminate the requirement for medical cannabis operators to be vertically integrated, according to the Worcester Business Journal.
Lawmakers are redrawing the rules in Massachusetts after years of chaos at the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), which the state inspector general in 2024 called a “rudderless agency.”
The CCC would also be shrunk from five members to three and be under the control of the governor, rather than other state officers, if a legislative compromise committee’s proposed tweaks to HB 5350 become law.
The bill passed the state House on a unanimous vote Wednesday. The Senate is expected to vote this week and pass the bill to Gov. Maura Healey, who is expected to sign it into law.
Will lifting the retail license cap affect Massachusetts cannabis operators?
Lifting the cap on retail permits could have a mixed effect, according to a Boston Globe editorial.
Instead, lawmakers will study the issue and decide how to handle hemp in the future.
Massachusetts cannabis lab testing fraud crackdown promised
Along with these changes, business owners should expect more attention on product testing, according to Cannabis Control Commissioner Shannon O’Brien.
“Regardless of what happens with this new piece of legislation, I am committed to continuing my efforts to make needed changes to the cannabis industry to protect public health and safety and to help struggling cannabis businesses who are following the law become profitable,” O’Brien said in a statement on Monday, according to the Journal.
“Over the next several weeks, we will be shining a bright light on testing fraud in the cannabis industry and making data more transparent, which could uncover inversion and possible criminal activity.”
Last fall, a lab that the CCC suspended for alleged testing fraud was allowed to reopen.
