BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission on Thursday approved draft regulations that would create licenses for adult-use cannabis delivery companies in the Commonwealth.
According to the five-panel Commission, the draft regulations would establish two different marijuana delivery license types; Limited Delivery Licenses and Wholesale Delivery Licenses.
The CCC said the Limited Delivery License would essentially be an evolution of the Delivery-Only License that it previously approved in 2019. Companies with Limited Delivery Licenses would be allowed to pick up pre-ordered and pre-purchased adult-use cannabis products from licensed dispensaries, and deliver them to the consumer at their home.
The Wholesale Delivery License would allow the delivery company to purchase marijuana and marijuana products at wholesale from Massachusetts' cultivators, craft marijuana cooperatives, product manufacturers, and microbusinesses, and sell individual orders directly to consumers.
Business owners with a Wholesale Delivery License would be required to provide the same product storage as other physical cannabis establishments, including providing adequate lighting and ventilation. Both licensees would have to perform the same age verification requirements as other state-legal marijuana businesses.
By expanding the delivery operations available to licensees, the Commission said it also adopted "additional compliance requirements" for Wholesale Delivery Licenses pertaining to wholesaling, warehousing, white labeling, and sales.
The draft regulations specify that both license types will be exclusively available for the first three years to individuals from communities that were disproportionately impacted by marijuana regulation. Those applicants must be approved as part of the state's Certified Economic Empowerment Applicants (EEAs) and Social Equity Program (SEP.)
The draft delivery regulations differentiate from Retail Marijuana Establishments, which are required to have a storefront, and specify they would be subject to the Commission’s overarching ownership and control provisions.
Once CCC staff incorporate the changes Commissioners adopted last Thursday, a segmented version of the draft regulations focusing on delivery will be published and become subject to a public comment period. The Commission plans to reconvene to discuss the draft delivery regulations and public comment on October 20th.
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By Brit Smith (@BritTheBritish)
(Photo: Getty Images)