Boston – Mass. Senate President Stan Rosenberg on Wednesday defended lawmakers rushing a bill delaying retail pot shops to Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk.
The new bill does not affect the personal possession and homegrowing provisions, which went into effect on Dec. 15, in the marijuana legalization law.
But the new bill, which moved quickly on a sleepy Wednesday at the Massachusetts State House, delays by six months key provisions that were due to go into effect in 2017, including the set-up of the Cannabis Control Commission and applications for retail pot shops that were slated to open in early 2018.
The bill flew through the Massachusetts House and Senate with a small number of lawmakers in attendance. Lawmakers are holding "informal sessions," lightly attended gatherings where most of the legislation passed tends to be non-controversial.
Rosenberg said there were no objections to the proposed delay among lawmakers. Conversations about the delay started behind closed doors three weeks ago.
The governor’s office said Baker, who opposed legalization, is reviewing the bill.
Massachusetts voters in November passed a law legalizing marijuana for recreational use. Marijuana advocates have defended the timelines laid out in the law for a Cannabis Control Commission to be set up by March 2017 and to start taking applications for retail shops later that year.
"We’re going to support their will, what we’re doing is working on the details," Rosenberg, D-Amherst, told reporters after senators and representatives sent the delay bill to the governor’s desk.
"For example, most of us who’ve looked at this don’t have a clue whether there’s enough money from that tax rate to actually pay for setting up the agency, for doing the licensing, for doing the enforcement and there also have to be considerations for public safety and for public health," Rosenberg said.
Under the current marijuana legalization law, there is proposed tax rate of up to 12 percent on retail pot. But some Beacon Hill policymakers have expressed interesting in significantly hiking that number, and the proposed six-month delay gives Beacon Hill lawmakers time to review and revise the law, along with the tax rate. They hope to get the bill revising the marijuana law to the governor’s desk within those six months.
"We’re going to review the whole bill and we’re going to determine which parts need to be changed," Rosenberg said.
According to a release from his office, in the "coming weeks" Rosenberg and his House counterpart, Speaker Robert DeLeo, plan to establish a special Beacon Hill committee on marijuana that will draft marijuana-related legislation.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker
Full Article: Rosenberg Defends Rushing Bill Delaying Retail Marijuana Implementation
Author: Gintautas Dumcius
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Photo Credit: MassLive
Website: MassLive
