Boston Globe | Cannabis Control commissioner frustrated by slow pace of progress (Letter to the Editor)

Your Nov. 15 editorial, “Massachusetts is failing to grow marijuana industry equitably,” reflects on the five-year anniversary of adult-use legalization and its ongoing implementation.

As a member of the state Cannabis Control Commission charged with regulating this industry according to voters’ vision, I, too, am frustrated by the pace of progress to include communities harmed by the war on drugs.

In spite of our policies to help directly affected applicants — training, opportunities to jump our licensing queue, reduced fees, exclusive licenses, and plans all businesses must incorporate for diverse hiring and to support harmed communities — the commission’s efforts fall short without legislative solutions, namely, a social equity loan fund.

Individual commissioners have called for this policy for years, and on Nov. 18 all five voted to advocate for a state-administered loan or grant program composed of public and private funds that would support equity applicants.

Massachusetts made history as the first state to require equity in regulated cannabis, but many legalizing after us are already light-years ahead when it comes to ensuring that those who were hurt by previous marijuana prohibition — disproportionately, people of color — can access the capital they need. We must give these applicants a fighting chance to participate in the now-legal marketplace, and that requires passing a social equity loan fund before it’s too late.

Nurys Camargo

Commissioner

Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission

Worcester

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