With Boston about to see the opening of its first recreational marijuana store, the mayor on Wednesday staffed the city’s new Cannabis Board.
Mayor Martin Walsh appointed five members to the panel that will issue marijuana business licenses and advise his office on cannabis regulations and policies, The Boston Globe reported.
The Cannabis Board consists of:
- Lawyer Kathleen Joyce, chair of the city’s licensing board.
- Monica Valdes Lupi, a former health commissioner for the city.
- Darlene Lombos, executive secretary-treasurer of the Greater Boston Labor Council.
- Lisa Holmes, a former Boston Police Department superintendent.
- John Smith, director of programs at TSNE MissionWorks nonprofit.
The Cannabis Board was created in November when the City Council approved a measure to improve Boston’s maligned licensing process, according to the Globe.
The formation of the panel precedes the opening of the first recreational marijuana store in Massachusetts’ capital city, Pure Oasis.
Adult-use cannabis sales began in the state in late 2018.
