Amendment ID: S2801-17

Amendment 17

Data Collection for Youth Consumption

Messrs. O'Connor and Keenan move that the proposed new draft be amended by inserting at the end the following:-

"SECTION __.  Section 17 of chapter 94G of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking clause (a) and inserting in place thereof the following:

(a) The commission shall develop a research agenda in order to understand the social and economic trends of cannabis in the commonwealth, to inform future decisions that would aid in the closure of the illicit marketplace and to inform the commission on the public health impacts of cannabis. The research agenda shall include, but not be limited to: (i) patterns of use, methods of consumption, sources of purchase and general perceptions of cannabis among minors, among college and university students and among adults; (ii) incidents of impaired driving, hospitalization and use of other health care services related to cannabis use, including a report of the state of the science around identifying a quantifiable level of cannabis-induced impairment of motor vehicle operation and a report on the financial impacts on the state healthcare system of hospitalizations related to cannabis; (iii) cannabis-related Emergency Department visits and hospitalizations to include those accessing psychiatric emergency services; (iv) prevalence of cannabis-induced psychosis and cannabis use disorder in Massachusetts; (v) testing for THC and THC metabolites, including 11-OH THC, in all suicides and homicide perpetrators; (vi) prevalence of cannabis use by those in the juvenile justice population, as measured by testing for THC and 11-OH THC, at the time of entry into the juvenile justice system;  (vii) economic and fiscal impacts for state and local governments including the impact of legalization on the production and distribution of cannabis in the illicit market and the costs and benefits to state and local revenue; (viii) ownership and employment trends in the cannabis industry examining participation by racial, ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups, including identification of barriers to participation in the industry; (ix) a market analysis examining the expansion or contraction of the illicit marketplace and the expansion or contraction of the legal marketplace, including estimates and comparisons of pricing and product availability in both markets; (x) a compilation of data on the number of incidents of discipline in schools, including suspensions or expulsions, resulting from cannabis use or possession of cannabis or cannabis products; and (xi) any Massachusetts  assessment of youth substance use shall include questions about the types and consumption methods of cannabis products being used, frequency of cannabis use, and cannabis-related psychosis symptoms; and (xii) a compilation of data on the number of civil penalties, arrests, prosecutions, incarcerations and sanctions imposed for violations of chapter 94C for possession, distribution or trafficking of cannabis or cannabis products, including the age, race, gender, country of origin, state geographic region and average sanctions of the persons charged."