Client Alert: Report on Boston Cannabis Board’s Inaugural Hearing, June 24, 2020

On Wednesday, the Boston Cannabis Board (BCB) had its inaugural hearing.  Commissioners on the call included Lisa Holmes, John Smith, Darlene Lombos, and Kathleen Joyce as chair.  Other attendees included the BCB’s Executive Secretary, Lesley Hawkins, Director of the Office of Emerging Industries Alexis Tkachuk, and Attorney Chayla White.

The hearing lasted approximately 45 minutes, and was mostly an introductory meeting to set the agenda for the coming meetings.  Rather than report the minutes of the hearing, which were recorded and are available here, the following are the main points of the meeting:

• Director Tkachuk described the 14 existing applicants that have already received their HCA and zoning approval.  In addition she stated that there are seven pending applications currently before the board, including locations in East Boston, Roxbury, Roslindale, and Allston/Brighton.
• The Chair asked what a complete application should include.  Director Tkachuk responded that it will include the location, the type, the beneficial interest forms as to ownership, whether the applicant is an equity applicant, application of a conditional use permit through ISD, proof of a public meeting with appropriate notice to abutters, and engagement with the District City Councilor.
• Attorney White also addressed the requirements for verification of Boston Equity Applicants, and there is technical assistance available for the same.
• Secretary Hawkins described the process for new applicants to submit their completed materials, and how they will be processed:  She stated that the applications will be scheduled and heard by the board on a one-to-one basis of equity and non-equity.  She stated that new applications will be scheduled before the BCB in the coming weeks.
• The next hearing will be on July 8, 2020, at 1:00PM, to accept public testimony relating to changes to the rules and regulations.  There will also be a hearing on July 22, to adopt the rules and regulations.  Please note that our firm has submitted recommended language changes to the BCB for their Draft Rules and Regulations around a variety of topic areas, including changes to what a complete application shall include, as well greater flexibility regarding changes to ownership.

As always,  If you have questions, please contact a member of the Prince Lobel Cannabis practice group, Cannabis practice group co-chair, John Bradley ([email protected]; 617-456-8076) or the authors of this alert, Cannabis practice group co-chair Mike Ross ([email protected]; 617-456-8149) or Dan Glissman ([email protected]; 617-456-8181).