Marijuana Debates To Take Place in California And Massachusetts

It seems the coronavirus outbreak only poured fuel on already burning issues related to marijuana businesses in the country. Tuesday witnessed two of them.

Massachusetts’s cannabis market could benefit from a Zoom debate that was scheduled for today. The topic centered around a proposal for the organization of a COVID-19 relief program for businesses that are not receiving federal-level COVID-19 funds.

According to Marijuana Moment, the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Businesses discussed the bill proposed last month by Massachusetts State Senator and committee chairwoman Diana DiZoglio. It has been supported by fifteen other lawmakers.

Massachusetts is the only state in the country that closed adult-use retailers, said Shaleen Title, a member of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission.

“The COVID-19 pandemic, the exclusion of federal emergency relief and the state’s order closing those businesses all threaten the commitments to racial and economic equity that are explicitly integral to the laws that govern our state’s cannabis industry,” Title added.

On the West Coast — in Milpitas, California — a debate is raging among the city counselors weighing whether a cannabis business sales tax measure should be put on the election ballot in November.

The council of the Californian city that banned marijuana businesses in 2018 voting decided to revise the measure already ruled out by the same council years ago, following Mayor Rich Tran's suggestion.

The measure was initially proposed by Councilman Anthony Phan in the summer of 2018.

“I believe this proposed cannabis sales tax is one step that we can take from now until the first Tuesday in November to allow residents to exercise their freedom to choose,” Tran said.

It remains to be seen whether the council will back up this measure, considering the city will have to approve cannabis business operations in order to tax them, said a city staff report.  

“Having a diverse revenue stream is always good for us, especially in the fiscal position that we are in and the fiscal position that we will inevitably be in,” Councilman Anthony Phan said.

The virtual meeting of the Milpitas City Council is scheduled for Tuesday and will be streamed online.