Since 2012 local boards of health from Metrowest communities
have been passing fear-based regulations that will shutout one of the biggest
and re-immerging industries about to take off in Massachusetts. Town health boards have the power to pass
regulations without approval from Town Meeting or a higher governing body. What
these regulations are actually doing is undermining economic growth.
Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Needham and Wayland are among
the towns that will not be able to take advantage of the pending recreational
marijuana industry.
In 2008[1],
63% of Massachusetts residents took to the polls and declared, “We do not
believe having marijuana on you is harmful enough to be a crime.” Possession
was decriminalized and given a small civil penalty. In 2012[2]
it was 63% again favoring the use of marijuana, this time for medical use.
And recent polls[3]
show 53% of Massachusetts residents support recreational use of marijuana as
opposed to only 37% disapproving of recreational marijuana use.
Despite the majority support for the use of marijuana for
medicinal and recreational purposes, the individual communities do not want
this industry in their town. Only 15% support having a medical marijuana
dispensary in their own town, while 41% do not want this business[4].
But the “not in my town” stance residents and local
governing boards are taking is a big mistake.
It is estimated Massachusetts could add sales and excise tax
revenue from medical and recreational sales of marijuana between $50,000,000.00
and $100,000,000.00[5].
All of the local boards of health tell their communities
their regulations are “to protect the children” and “prevent access to tobacco
products by children”. This sounds good, and no one would argue against
protecting children, but how they are going about this negatively impacts
important small business growth.
The key aspect of these new regulations is this statement,
which is found in all of these towns’ regulations: “At any given time, there shall be
no more than X number of Tobacco permits...”
All of these towns have put a cap on the number of new
Tobacco permits they will issue and the cap is being set to the current number
of permits already in use. In effect, no new businesses are allowed to open in
these towns if they need a tobacco permit to sell any of the tobacco related
items in their product offering. This includes any retail store that wants to
open up a 21 or older establishment. Despite the fact these new business would
never allow a person under the age of 21 into their businesses, these
establishments are being kept out of these towns.
The only thing these regulations are going to accomplish is
preventing the small business owner from opening new businesses in their towns.
One of these towns, Framingham, already has a waiting list for new tobacco
permits (which will never be issued) after only two months of their regulations
taking effect in September 2015.
What impact does this have on the re-emerging cannabis
industry? One of the best ways entrepreneurs
can begin taking advantage of this $10 billion industry is by establishing the ancillary
businesses that will be needed to support this industry. Businesses like
lawyers, accountants and security consultants are a must in this industry. In
addition, there will be a need for many supporting products (aside from the
plant material itself) like: child-resistant cannabis containers, vaporizers
and glassblowers.
Shops are needed to sell these products and it is these
types of shops that are being kept out of local towns by a fascist government
body that answers to no one.
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