Massachusetts close to seeing retail marijuana activity

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The state’s CCC approves the final licenses for retail marijuana sales

The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) of Massachusetts has brought the state one step closer to seeing the introduction of retail marijuana sales. The commission announced yesterday that it approved the final six licenses for retail operations and authorized an additional 11 provisional licenses.

Massachusetts had expected to launch retail marijuana sales this past July, almost two years after recreational marijuana use was approved in the state. The CCC has now approved a total of 12 final licenses and issued an additional 64 provisional licenses, but the retail industry still hasn’t begun.

Some believe that the CCC has stalled the licensing process intentionally. The commission refutes the accusation, stating that the process needs to be extremely detailed in order to provide a “safe, equitable, and effective adult-use cannabis industry that works for Massachusetts.”

The final license approval isn’t the final step in the launch of retail operations. The commission has to re-inspect the license and confirm that conditions, such as inventory control and reporting, are met.

Out of the almost 4,000 applications that have been received for retail stores or cultivation facilities, there are just over 1,000 that have applications pending. Since the CCC has only issued 12 final licenses and a handful of provisional licenses, a great number of enterprises have given up.

The delays have caused a number of potential businesses to drop out and some are concerned that they will make the demand greater than the available supply once operations begin. They believe that allowing all of the businesses to enter the space at once will cause a shortage of product, which could be detrimental to the retail industry.