Five stores have signed contracts, now waiting on state approval
Last Friday, five companies signed contracts with Boston in hopes of launching marijuana dispensaries. Now, they only need approval by the Cannabis Control Board (CCC) of Massachusetts before being able to go live. If everything goes well, they could begin accepting clients before the end of this year.
The five stores include MedMen in Fenway, Pure Oasis in Dorchester, Core Empowerment in Jamaica Plain and Bloom and Berskhire Roots, both in East Boston. If they’re given their licenses from the CCC, they will need to upgrade their retail spaces and submit to various inspections before being able to operate.
Nine “host community agreements” have now been signed between cannabis companies and Boston’s mayor, Martin J. Walsh. The agreements are part of Boston’s requirements for a cannabis company to operate within the state and include details such as how much the city will make from the endeavor, business hours and other operational information.
According to Boston spokeswoman Samantha Ormsby, “These new host community agreements represent the city’s commitment to ensuring the cannabis industry in Boston brings opportunity to all communities, and continues the administration’s focus on creating a more equitable Boston.”
Out of the five new agreements, three were submitted by teams that include local residents and minorities. This was in response to criticism about the state’s marijuana industry, which was said to be favoring large companies. Bloom, for example, is owned in part by two Latinos and a veteran of the Armed Forces who served in Afghanistan.
