On Thursday afternoon Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker put pen to paper and signed the equity cannabis bill into law. Governor Baker used his veto power to remove only one section of the bill. The language removed by the Governor had directed the Commission to study the possession, administration, and consumption of medical marijuana at public or private schools as it relates to students that have been issued a valid medical marijuana card. According to reporting from StatehouseNews the Governor says that he removed the study because both the medical marijuana and recreational ballot initiatives approved by voters in 2012 and 2016 respectively prohibited marijuana on school grounds. The rest of the bill survived without any changes from the Governor. Now that the bill has become law the Cannabis Control Commission has one year to implement the necessary changes to their regulations. The law now gives the Cannabis Control Commission explicit authority to approve or deny community host agreements, establishes a Social Equity Trust Fund, and clarifies the rules around social consumption.
Find the full story from the Berkshire Eagle here: https://www.berkshireeagle.com/statehouse/massachusetts-governor-charlie-baker-signs-into-law-cannabis-industry-reforms/article_5eac2f4e-19bf-11ed-9912-639f5830da2b.html
