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Massachusetts Regulators Get Earful On Rules For Recreational Marijuana Delivery

Employees tend to marijuana plants in a grow room at the INSA marijuana dispensary in Easthampton, Massachusetts, on July 18, 2019.
Don Treeger

Massachusetts regulators hosted a public hearing Friday to take testimony on plans for the delivery of recreational marijuana in the state.

Medical marijuana has been available for delivery for years in Massachusetts. The state’s Cannabis Control Commission is now considering two possible ways recreational marijuana could be delivered.

In one proposal, an independent courier would charge a fee to transport it from a pot store. Under the other option, a delivery operator could buy wholesale from growers and deliver to their own customers.

Those disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs, known as social equity applicants, as well as people from communities impacted by strict marijuana laws, would be the exclusive recipients of both types of delivery licenses for three years. 

Christopher Fevry, the co-founder of the Massachusetts Cannabis Association for Delivery, spoke in favor of the regulations.

"With the wholesale delivery operator model, that allows social equity applicants and delivery companies to choose their own destiny, build their own customer base and actually have a viable business," Fevry said.

Some pot stores have raised concerns about the wholesale model as has the Massachusetts Municipal Association, citing worries about lost tax revenue for host communities.

The commission will vote on the final regulations later this month. 

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Before joining New England Public Media, Alden was a producer for the CBS NEWS program 60 Minutes. In that role, he covered topics ranging from art, music and medicine to business, education and politics.