Seven years later, hope remains for Massachusetts cannabis cafes

Colin A. Young

Regulators hope to present their latest framework for the rules that will govern establishments where adults could use marijuana together in a social setting before the end of this year, more than seven years since the Cannabis Control Commission started wrestling with the topic.

Acting CCC Chair Bruce Stebbins told the Cannabis Advisory Board on Thursday that the CCC group that has been working on social consumption issues is beginning “to build out what the actual regulations will look like.” He said the next steps involve running things by the governor, attorney general and treasurer, as well as other key stakeholders.

“We’re outlining and preparing our final draft framework with an internal working team. We are targeting before the end of the year for the public presentation,” he said. “Then we’ll engage in the promulgation process and continue ongoing outreach.”

The 2016 voter law legalizing adult use marijuana gave the CCC the authority to license social consumption sites — places where adults would be allowed to buy and use marijuana at the same location, much like purchasing alcohol at a bar or a cigar at a cigar bar — but traction has so far been elusive. The agency originally moved to create social consumption licenses in its initial 2018 round of regulation-writing, but acquiesced to criticism from Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration and the Legislature and agreed to delay.

A 2019 regulatory framework that called for rolling out cannabis cafes and other social consumption sites with a 12-municipality pilot program was discarded by vote of the CCC in May 2023, and the agency began with its latest social consumption effort.

Stebbins on Thursday highlighted three things he said will be essential to a successful rollout: public awareness (he said the CCC is seeking a supplemental appropriation of $500,000 for a social consumption awareness campaign), training for social consumption site workers, and municipal outreach.

“Commissioner Stebbins and I have been — anyone and everyone that will listen in state government, we’ve been talking to about funding for this public awareness campaign. I think it’s key. This is going to be not a completely new thing to Massachusetts — social consumption is happening, but it’s happening in the legacy market, right? And it’s also happening in private places,” CCC Commissioner Nurys Camargo said Thursday. “But we just need to make sure that we’re educating consumers. A lot of canna-curious folks are going to be checking out these spots and places and events. And we’ve been talking a lot to law enforcement. The education that still needs to happen with law enforcement is huge. So, I’m just excited about that.”