Massachusetts marijuana retailers sue state over delivery regulations

Marijuana retailers in Massachusetts filed a lawsuit against the state’s Cannabis Control Commission’s rules that allow only social equity applicants to deliver cannabis for the program’s first three years.

The Commonwealth Dispensary Association contends that preventing marijuana retailers from delivering cannabis under their existing retail licenses violates a statute allowing them to deliver marijuana, the Boston Business Journal reported.

The delivery regulations have been a sticking point for the commission.

According to the State House News Service, the new policies, approved Dec. 1, allow:

• A “cannabis courier” permit where a business would charge a fee to make deliveries from licensed retailers and dispensaries.
• A “cannabis delivery operator” license that could buy wholesale marijuana from cultivators and manufacturers and sell directly to customers.

Both license types were offered first to social equity and economic empowerment applicants.

Applications are being taken for the courier license.

Commission staff told the Boston Business Journal it would take roughly five weeks to begin the application process for the delivery operator permit.