Massachusetts voters oppose the marijuana legalization repeal measure<\/a>, 55 percent to 33 percent.<\/p>\nCCC Chair Chris Harding told Marijuana Moment that he can\u2019t comment directly on the initiative and that the commission does not take positions on pending ballot questions or legislation, but he said that, in general, \u201crepeal of the adult-use industry could eliminate thousands of jobs, hundreds of businesses and billions in tax revenue.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe commission has worked very hard since the first commissioners were appointed in September 2017 to make sure consumers can buy safe, tested products in a marketplace that prioritizes equity as a founding principle,\u201d Harding said. If the legal market were to disappear, \u201ccannabis could recede back into the shadows with no health and safety protections,\u201d the chair said.<\/p>\n
The state officially crossed the $10 billion mark for recreational marijuana sales on September 5, CCC said. June alone saw $156 million in sales\u2014the highest total in any single month since legalization.<\/p>\n
The state\u2019s medical cannabis dispensaries have sold an additional $1.64 billion since sales began in 2015\u2014including $96 million so far this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Massachusetts adult-use cannabis industry has reached $10 billion in gross sales just under eight years after the first retail stores opened in 2018,\u201d Harding told Marijuana Moment. \u201cThat\u2019s a remarkable milestone for an industry that\u2019s only as old as the last Red Sox World Series championship. It also shows how much trust our licensees have built over the last eight years, and we congratulate them for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn practical terms, that revenue keeps 782 active cannabis businesses operating with some 20,000 registered agents performing jobs from bud tending to food science and delivery driving,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s a serious economic engine. And each transaction supports vital services in Massachusetts.\u201d<\/p>\n
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