SENATE DOCKET, NO. 535        FILED ON: 1/13/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Jason M. Lewis

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to support cannabis equity businesses.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 535        FILED ON: 1/13/2025

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No.         

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE SENATE, NO. 2597 OF 2023-2024.]

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)

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An Act to support cannabis equity businesses.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

Section 4 of chapter 94G of the General Laws, is hereby amended by adding the following subsections:-

(m) The cannabis control commission, in consultation with the Massachusetts cannabis advisory board, shall create a searchable online database of all operational cannabis dispensaries that allows users to search, filter, and identify economic empowerment applicants, social equity program participants, disadvantaged business enterprises, unionized organizations, and other criteria identified by the commission and advisory board available on the commission's website no later than Dec. 31, 2025; provided, however, that:

(i) the database will allow users to view all medical and adult use retail and delivery operators with a license to commence operations;

(ii) the database will allow users to see what cities and towns each delivery operator delivers to;

(iii) the results provided by the database shall allow users to see a business’s plan to positively impact community disparately harmed by the war on drugs, its diversity plan, and its progress toward those plans;

(iv) the results provided by the database will show what percent of sales by a delivery or retail licensee are from products produced by businesses owned by a majority of social equity program participants or economic empowerment applicants; and

(v) the results provided by the database will allow users to view all of the owners of the business with the ability to view a record for each owner and see all of the other entities of which they have control;

(n) The cannabis control commission, in consultation with the Massachusetts cannabis advisory board shall establish criteria for allowing marijuana establishments and medical marijuana treatment centers to satisfy a portion of their positive impact plan requirement for licensure in part by stocking a no less than twenty five percent of their inventory with products produced by businesses owned by a majority of owners who are economic empowerment applicants or social equity program participants.