The days when marijuana users will be able to congregate at an establishment in Massachusetts and socially consume the drThe days when marijuana users will be able to congregate at an establishment in Massachusetts and socially consume the drug are years away, cannabis regulators said yesterday, and it is likely that any social consumption will be limited to vaping and edibles.
The Cannabis Control Commission has the authority under the 2016 voter law legalizing adult-use marijuana to license social consumption sites — things like marijuana cafes or marijuana licenses for movie theaters — but regulators have opted to delay that part of the industry while they study how other states and cities are handling it. A final decision is expected by early 2019.ug are years away, cannabis regulators said yesterday, and it is likely that any social consumption will be limited to vaping and edibles.
The Cannabis Control Commission has the authority under the 2016 voter law legalizing adult-use marijuana to license social consumption sites — things like marijuana cafes or marijuana licenses for movie theaters — but regulators have opted to delay that part of the industry while they study how other states and cities are handling it. A final decision is expected by early 2019.
CCC Executive Director Shawn Collins presented the commission with the results of a CCC staff study on social marijuana consumption policies around the country and world. He said that because it is not widely permitted, research on the topic is sparse, “but there are a lot of analogies drawn between alcohol and tobacco.”
The Department of Revenue licenses “smoking bars,” where patrons can buy and smoke tobacco products, but the definition for those businesses is too narrow to also cover the smoking of marijuana, Collins said.
“While the concept of smoking bars would not be new in Massachusetts, marijuana does not currently fit within the legal definition, therefore, social consumption may be limited to ingestion via electronic vaping and edibles,” he told the commission.
Denver uses a “bring your own marijuana” system, in which the city licenses locations where people can vaporize or eat marijuana products they buy elsewhere. Las Vegas is considering a similar model under which it would license hookah-style lounges next to marijuana stores, Collins said, and some California cities allow “tasting rooms” connected to retail shops.
Collins also said that the law Gov. Charlie Baker signed earlier this year raising the minimum age to buy tobacco products from 18 to 21 could complicate social consumption efforts because it “broadens existing prohibitions on public smoking to include e-cigarettes.”
Commissioners Shaleen Title and Kay Doyle both argued that while the new tobacco law might be a hurdle down the road, the more immediate problem is that there is no feasible way for a city or town to opt-in and allow social consumption facilities within its borders.
“There is no workable process currently under the law by which a city or town can allow this, and that needs to happen before a facility can open,” Title said. “So I would say it’s a matter of years and right now there would need to be a change in the legislation before cities and towns can move forward.”
Credit: bostonherald.com
