Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Marijuana legalization proponents on Thursday ripped Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker for saying the state is in somewhat of a "no man's land" after voters approved recreational use of the substance in November.
Jim Borghesani, a spokesman for the "Yes on 4" coalition, which pushed the successful November 2016 ballot question on marijuana, said Baker played a role in the continued existence of a "no man's land."
Recreational use of marijuana is broadly legal for adults 21 years and older, though retail pot shops aren't expected to open until mid-2018.
That's created a legal grey area and some entrepreneurs have jumped in. Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level.
Springfield police officers on Wednesday shut down a store on Page Boulevard, operating under the name "Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing" and handing out "free" marijuana after charging an admission fee.
In a sit-down with the MassLIve/Springfield Republican editorial board, Baker called incidents like that "troubling."
"For all intents and purposes, that starts to be exactly the sort of thing that we should be working to avoid," he said, adding that the store "violates literally the spirit, the intent and the actual language" of the new marijuana law.
But Borghesani said the new law originally had retail pot shops opening in January 2018, after a regulatory structure was set up to field licenses and prepare for the legal market.
Earlier this year, Baker, who opposed marijuana legalization, signed into law a six-month delay that legislators rushed to his desk. The bill also delays the start-up of the Cannabis Control Commission, a new state agency.
"The governor apparently does not understand that pushing back legal sales--as he agreed to do--will extend the situation that he now describes as a 'no man's land,'" Borghesani said in a statement.
"We have said all along that we want to get through in as short amount of time as possible this awkward period where marijuana possession is legal but sales are not," he continued. "As soon as legal retails sales begin, these not-to-bright loophole attempts will disappear."
Borghesani said Massachusetts is the "only legal marijuana state in the nation" delaying the original timeline for retail sales, "which only extends the very situation the governor is now criticizing."
Baker called the six-month delay "reasonable" and said Colorado and Washington state officials had said they wished they had more time to set up a regulatory structure after they approved legal marijuana years ago.
Massachusetts lawmakers have pulled together a committee to work during the six-month delay on a bill making tweaks and changes to the new marijuana law. Baker has said he would like a bill on his desk by May.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Legalization Group Lashes Gov. Charlie Baker Over Comment
Author: Gintautas Dumcius
Contact: 508-221-3108
Photo Credit: Dan Glaun
Website: MassLive
Jim Borghesani, a spokesman for the "Yes on 4" coalition, which pushed the successful November 2016 ballot question on marijuana, said Baker played a role in the continued existence of a "no man's land."
Recreational use of marijuana is broadly legal for adults 21 years and older, though retail pot shops aren't expected to open until mid-2018.
That's created a legal grey area and some entrepreneurs have jumped in. Marijuana remains illegal at the federal level.
Springfield police officers on Wednesday shut down a store on Page Boulevard, operating under the name "Mary Jane Makes Your Heart Sing" and handing out "free" marijuana after charging an admission fee.
In a sit-down with the MassLIve/Springfield Republican editorial board, Baker called incidents like that "troubling."
"For all intents and purposes, that starts to be exactly the sort of thing that we should be working to avoid," he said, adding that the store "violates literally the spirit, the intent and the actual language" of the new marijuana law.
But Borghesani said the new law originally had retail pot shops opening in January 2018, after a regulatory structure was set up to field licenses and prepare for the legal market.
Earlier this year, Baker, who opposed marijuana legalization, signed into law a six-month delay that legislators rushed to his desk. The bill also delays the start-up of the Cannabis Control Commission, a new state agency.
"The governor apparently does not understand that pushing back legal sales--as he agreed to do--will extend the situation that he now describes as a 'no man's land,'" Borghesani said in a statement.
"We have said all along that we want to get through in as short amount of time as possible this awkward period where marijuana possession is legal but sales are not," he continued. "As soon as legal retails sales begin, these not-to-bright loophole attempts will disappear."
Borghesani said Massachusetts is the "only legal marijuana state in the nation" delaying the original timeline for retail sales, "which only extends the very situation the governor is now criticizing."
Baker called the six-month delay "reasonable" and said Colorado and Washington state officials had said they wished they had more time to set up a regulatory structure after they approved legal marijuana years ago.
Massachusetts lawmakers have pulled together a committee to work during the six-month delay on a bill making tweaks and changes to the new marijuana law. Baker has said he would like a bill on his desk by May.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Legalization Group Lashes Gov. Charlie Baker Over Comment
Author: Gintautas Dumcius
Contact: 508-221-3108
Photo Credit: Dan Glaun
Website: MassLive
