MA Senators Will Visit Colorado to Study MJ Regulations

If Massachusetts voters wind up legalizing recreational cannabis next year at the ballot, the state’s regulatory system may look a lot like Colorado’s.

With voters in the Bay State poised to weigh in on a legalization measure next November, 10 Massachusetts state senators will spend a week in Colorado in January with the aim of prepping themselves to oversee a rec market.

The lawmakers will follow in the footsteps of their peers in many other parts of the country who have visited Colorado for a first-hand look at the state’s medical and recreational cannabis industries.

A Massachusetts lawmaker told the Boston Globe that senators will meet industry members, state officials and law enforcement officers to find out how Colorado established its regulatory system. They will also look into how Coloado controls home growing and deals with youth access to marijuana, among other issues.

The group intends to issue a report in late January or early February with recommendations on how to regulate a potential recreational use market in the state, the Globe reported.

The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol is seeking to get its legalization referendum on the state ballot for the 2016 election. It’s currently waiting for official notification on whether it met petition requirements.