GREENFIELD — In the world of recreational marijuana, five people in the state have the most power to determine how pot will be grown, packaged and sold in Massachusetts.
One of those five members of the Cannabis Control Commission, Jennifer Flanagan — the lone appointee of Gov. Charlie Baker to the policy-setting group — came before the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Friday morning, leaving them with a clear message: The real power-wielding will come in hands of the local governments, especially when annual town meetings come around.
“The most important thing I want you to know is that communities have got to get involved in this, because this is coming to your town,” Flanagan said.
After the November 2016 ballot question to legalize recreational marijuana passed, Massachusetts has slowly worked toward a full rollout, Flanagan said. It wasn’t until September that the commission was formed to work out the details. By April 2018, the state is expected to start receiving licensing applications from those who want to grow, process, package and sell pot, and by July facilities will start to open, with the ability to legally sell marijuana.
“Locally, your selectmen are considering things like moratoriums or bans or allowing this into the towns,” Flanagan said. “To me, this says there are concerns when it comes to Main Street of all of our towns. People are concerned about what this is going to look like.”
Flanagan, a former state senator who voted against legalizing recreational marijuana, is in charge of working on policy around regulation. Flanagan joked she will probably be one of the “most hated people in the state,” because she plans on making sure the first steps in production and selling of products will be slow and with low amounts of THC.
Flanagan said she wanted to make sure the rules that the commission is drafting help farmers, who, she said, didn’t have much of a seat at the table during the initial process and vote.
“People are saying to me, ‘Commissioner, make sure you hear the will of the voters.’ The voters never talked about the farmers and the farmers are the loudest voice we have right now, saying, ‘Why can’t we become a part of this economic boom?’” Flanagan said.
She emphasized that it was a priority of hers to advocate for farmers.
Flanagan said she hopes marijuana laws can help develop a craft culture, similar to that of the craft beer economy in the state.
Asked about what she has learned from other states that have already legalized recreational marijuana, Flanagan said she was told to make sure that the starting amount of marijuana for sale isn’t too high (cautioning that some states started with 10 milligrams, but could have began with five milligrams).
Flanagan expressed repeated concern over edibles, especially when it comes to the potential marketing to children.
“How do we know your 12-year-old doesn’t have this? How do we know this isn’t advertised at your little leagues?” Flanagan asked. “Those are real concerns for me.”
In addressing the opioid epidemic and how recreational marijuana might influence it, she said it’s a tough call early on, since there is not much data available to understand how it will go. Flanagan said she worries about demand on the black market and whether there is potential for marijuana to be laced with the synthetic-opioid and leading killer in the epidemic, fentanyl.
As for how it might help someone in recovery, she said that’s a personal question for an individual to answer. Whether someone participates in a medically assisted treatment or uses marijuana to help them, that’s not something she sees as a major factor in her work at the moment.
Similarly, Flanagan said a question people have raised is whether there should be designated spaces for social consumption. This could help someone who lives in federally subsidized housing to have a place where they can legally smoke. That, too, is something that could be looked at down the road, she said.
In the meantime, Flanagan and the Cannabis Commission will continue to work to make sure the proper rules are in place come July, and she said, she’s still looking for input.
“My suggestion to you is if you have things you want us to know, please email us,” Flanagan said.
Reach Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 264