Efforts to rewrite the Massachusetts marijuana laws hit a pothole Thursday night.Around 9 p.m., lawmakers at the State House headed home without a compromise bill to place on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.
“We haven’t filed a bill yet, that you can see,” said state Sen. William Brownsberger, D-Belmont, declining further comment to reporters as he left.
Lawmakers, who have been meeting behind closed doors this week, are poised to blow a June 30th deadline they set for themselves, in order to give Baker and other state officials the time to set up the regulatory structure that would oversee the marijuana industry.
In November, 1.8 million voters approved a ballot question broadly legalizing marijuana for people age 21 and over. But throughout the election cycle, state lawmakers who for years were reluctant to address the issue said they planned to make revisions if the ballot question passed.
Marijuana legalization advocates, who wrote the ballot question, noted Beacon Hill’s tight timeframe.
“At this point, only through extraordinary parliamentary procedures will they be able to meet their June 30 deadline,” said Jim Borghesani, a spokesman for the advocates. “If they cannot do so, we call on the governor to uphold the voters’ will by immediately releasing funds necessary for the treasurer to begin forming the governing body of this important new industry.”
Current law calls for a three-member Cannabis Control Commission; the House and Senate are seeking to expand to five members while taking away some power over the commission from the state treasurer.
Lawmakers have disagreed over the total tax rate on marijuana and whether local cities and towns can ban retail pot shops through a voter referendum or a municipality’s governing body.
The lawmakers are also seeking to overhaul the medical marijuana law approved by voters in 2012. The two sides have proposed rolling the state’s medical marijuana system under the Cannabis Control Commission and removing it from the purview of the state Department of Public Health.
Earlier this year, Gov. Baker and lawmakers approved delays in the voter-approved law as a way to give themselves time to craft a larger rewrite. The six-month delay meant retail pot shops won’t be opening until July 1, 2018.
But the delays also pushed back appointment deadlines for the treasurer and the governor. For example, the date for when the governor has to make appointments to a cannabis advisory board to the commission is Aug. 1, 2017.
Legalization advocates have repeatedly objected to any changes to the law passed by voters.
credit:masslive.com
