State lawmakers voted Wednesday morning to delay the opening date for recreational marijuana stores in Massachusetts by half a year from January to summer 2018.
The extraordinary move, made in informal sessions with just a half-dozen legislators present, would unravel a significant part of the legalization measure passed by 1.8 million voters just last month. About 1.5 million people voted against it.
Part of the new law legalizing possession and home-growing took effect on Dec. 15. That wouldnt change under the measure, which emerged Wednesday in the state Senate. Both chambers took under an hour to pass the bill.
But drafters of the marijuana legalization measure have said the quick opening of stores is critical. Thats because the state now exists in a legal gray zone: Marijuana is legal to possess but illegal to sell.
Were disappointed that a bill seeking to change a law passed by a solid margin of voters under the initiative petition process has been submitted in informal session with little notice to supporters, said Jim Borghesani, a leader in the marijuana legalization campaign. Our message is unchanged: This new law was written with careful consideration to process and timelines and it requires no legislative revisions.
Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg, who is now the states top marijuana regulator, has been among the loudest voices urging a delay. She has said that to create an effective new bureaucracy that can regulate and police recreational marijuana sales requires more time than the ballot question gave her.
But opponents have cried foul, arguing that Colorado set up its new recreational marijuana system in the same timeframe. And adjusting the voter-approved law flies in the face of democracy, they say.
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Governor Charlie Baker have both expressed openness to a delay to protect public health and safety. But at the same time, they have said they are keen to respect the will of the voters.
Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg said earlier this month that State House leaders had discussed delaying parts of the marijuana legislation to give us more time to fine-tune.
Rosenberg, an Amherst Democrat who supported legalization, told reporters at the time that if lawmakers slow the rollout, its going to be a very time-limited delay. And, he said, changes to the timing of the measure could happen in informal legislative sessions over the holiday season, which are usually attended by just a few elected officials.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Legislature Votes To Delay Marijuana Shops
Author: Joshua Miller and Jim O’Sullivan
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Photo Credit: John Tlumacki
Website: The Boston Globe
