Search â–¸ Agenda item attachment
A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the proposed Cannabis Business Permitting Ordinance. ON OR AFTER APRIL 22, 2019 THE QUESTION COMES ON PASSAGE TO BE ORDAINED
Chapter 5.50 Cannabis Business Permitting
1. Purpose
This ordinance is intended to create a separate local permitting requirement for Cannabis Retail
Store, Cannabis Cultivator, Cannabis Product Manufacturer and/or Cannabis Transporter
(collectively “Cannabis Business”) applicants to certify compliance with certain conditions in the
public interest prior to being permitted to operate a Cannabis Business in the City. The City
deems it to be in the public interest to give initial permitting preferences for Cannabis Businesses
to Priority Applicants, as defined herein.
2. Definitions
Cannabis Business. A Cannabis Retail Store, Cannabis Cultivator, Cannabis Product
Manufacturer and/or Cannabis Transporter.
Cannabis Cultivator. An entity licensed by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission
as a Marijuana Cultivator to cultivate, process and package cannabis or marijuana, and to transfer
cannabis or marijuana to other cannabis or marijuana establishments, but not to consumers. A
craft marijuana cooperative as defined by state regulation is a type of Cannabis Cultivator.
Cannabis Product Manufacturer. An entity licensed by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control
Commission as a Marijuana Product Manufacturer to obtain, manufacture, process and package
cannabis or marijuana products and to transfer these products to other cannabis or marijuana
establishments, but not to consumers.
Cannabis Retail Store. An establishment authorized to sell or otherwise transfer cannabis or
marijuana products to consumers for use off the premises, but not to cultivate, manufacture,
process, or package cannabis or marijuana products, in accordance with applicable state laws and
regulations. A Cannabis Retail Store may be licensed to operate as a Cannabis or Marijuana
Retailer or registered as a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center, also known as a Registered
Marijuana Dispensary (hereafter “RMD”), or both, in accordance with applicate state laws and
regulations.
Cannabis Transporter. An entity, not otherwise licensed by the Cannabis Control
Commission, that is licensed to purchase, obtain, and possess cannabis or marijuana, or cannabis
or marijuana products, solely for the purpose of transporting, temporarily storing, selling and
distributing them to cannabis establishments, not for selling to consumers.
Priority Applicant. A person, corporation, or other legal entity applying for a Cannabis
Business permit pursuant to this Chapter to operate in the City who is:
a. Group A Priority Applicant. An Economic Empowerment or Social Equity Program
Applicant certified as such by the Commonwealth’s Cannabis Control Commission; or a
Women or Minority Owned business as certified by the Commonwealth-- to be known as
Group A Priority Applicants.
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b. Group B Priority Applicant. An RMD within the City that will sell cannabis products in
a Cannabis Retail Store pursuant to the Commonwealth’s medical use of marijuana laws,
either alone or in addition to operating as a licensed marijuana retailer pursuant to the
Commonwealth’s adult use of marijuana laws - to be known as Group B Priority Applicants.
3. Applicability
This Chapter shall apply to any proposed Cannabis Cultivator, Cannabis Product Manufacturer,
Cannabis Retail Store, or Cannabis Transporter that is seeking licensure from the Cannabis
Control Commission on or after the effective date of this Chapter. This Chapter shall not apply to
RMDs that have already been permitted in the City and are not seeking licensure as a Cannabis
Retail Store for retail cannabis sales prior to the effective date of this ordinance (“Existing
RMD”).
4. Permitting Preferences for Priority Applicants
a. For the first two years from the effective date provided in Section 10 below, the City shall
issue a Cannabis Business permit pursuant to this Chapter only to Priority Applicants. The
City will only issue a Cannabis Business permit to a Group B Priority Applicant if, after
issuance, there will be an equal or greater number of currently active Cannabis Business
permits of that type held by Group A Priority Applicants, or if the applicant is an RMD that
has been granted a special permit from the Planning Board and a Provisional Certificate of
Registration from the Cannabis Control Commission before the effective date of this Chapter
and is seeking licensure as a Cannabis Retail Store for retail cannabis sales.
b. After two years from the effective date provided in Section 10 below, the City may issue
Cannabis Business permits to any qualifying applicant, whether or not such applicant is a
Priority Applicant. However, after two years from the effective date in Section 10 below, the
City shall continue to prioritize the issuance of permits to Priority Applicants when
applications for Cannabis Business permits from both Priority Applicants and non-Priority
Applicants are pending approval by the City at the same time.
5. Permitting Requirements
a. In order to obtain a Cannabis Business permit pursuant to this Chapter, an applicant must
certify that:
1. It will comply with employee pay standards set out in the City’s Living Wage
Ordinance;
2. It will hire at least 51% of minority, women and/or veterans as employees;
3. If applicant has a Board of Directors, the board makeup will be at least 51% minority,
women and/or veterans;
4. It consents to unannounced, periodic compliance inspections by City officials of its
Cannabis Business, including any Cannabis Business activities it conducts off-site;
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5. It will comply with all State and local laws and regulations regarding its Cannabis
Business operations;
6. No person under the minimum legal sales age shall be permitted to enter the Cannabis
Business site unless such person possesses a state-issued registration card demonstrating
that the person is a registered qualifying medical marijuana (cannabis) patient and the
Cannabis Business site is, or is co-located with, an RMD;
7. It will work with the Cambridge Public Health Department to create and distribute
educational materials to its customers as directed by the Cambridge Public Health
Department;
8. It will sell only cannabis and cannabis accessories, and not other products, including
tobacco products or alcoholic beverages of any kind;
9. It will comply with directives of the Police Commissioner and of the Director of
Traffic Parking and Transportation, or their designees, regarding traffic measures to be
taken at and near the Cannabis Business site; and
10. It has received a special permit from the Planning Board for its Cannabis Business
and has entered into a Host Community Agreement with the City.
b. No discretionary permit conditions may be imposed by the permit issuing authority pursuant
to this Chapter.
c. A Cannabis Business permit shall be valid only for the applicant to which the Cannabis
Business permit was issued, and only for the use and for the site approved in the permit. A
proposed change of controlling ownership, change of use, or change of site shall require a new
Cannabis Business permit.
6. Permitting Procedure
This Chapter shall be administered by the City’s Inspectional Services Department, except that
Priority Applicant status shall be certified by the Director of the Economic Development
Division of the Community Development Department. Applications for Cannabis Business
permits shall be obtained from and submitted to the Inspectional Services Department. If permit
applications are properly completed and certified, and the conditions of this Chapter are met, the
Commissioner of Inspectional Services (the “Commissioner”) shall issue a Cannabis Business
permit to the applicant. No public hearing process on individual applications shall be conducted.
7. Permit Expiration and Renewal
The Cannabis Business permit issued pursuant to this Chapter shall be subject to renewal
annually. If the applicant fails to timely renew or fails to meet the requirements of this Chapter
at the time of each renewal, including the Permitting Requirements in section 5 above, the
Cannabis Business permit issued hereunder shall expire. A Cannabis Business permit will not be
renewed if the permit holder has failed to pay all fines issued pursuant to this Chapter.
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8. Enforcement
a. Failure to comply with this Chapter, including a failure to maintain the status of a
Priority Applicant, failure to obtain or to comply with the provisions of a Planning Board
special permit or State license to operate a Cannabis Business, or failure to comply with
any applicable laws, may result in revocation by the City, through the Commissioner, of
the Cannabis Business permit granted pursuant to this Chapter. Failure to meet the
annual Cannabis Business permit renewal requirements will result in the expiration of the
Cannabis Business permit. If a permit holder’s State license is revoked, then the
Cannabis Business permit issued by the City shall be revoked.A Cannabis Business
permit may be revoked or not renewed if the permit holder has sold a cannabis product to
a person under the minimum legal sales age three times or more, or if the permit holder
has failed to pay to the City all outstanding fines issued pursuant to this Chapter.
b. An applicant must cease to operate if it does not hold and maintain a valid Cannabis
Business permit pursuant to this Chapter. Prior to revoking a Cannabis Business permit
issued hereunder, the Commissioner will notify the Cannabis Business permit holder in
writing and allow the Cannabis Business permit holder at least fourteen (14) days to
submit written information to the Commissioner establishing that the Cannabis Business
permit holder is in compliance with the terms of this Chapter. The Commissioner shall
make a final determination on the Cannabis Business permit expiration or revocation
thereafter. If a permit holder requests, the Commissioner in his discretion may hold a
hearing before deciding whether to revoke a Cannabis Business permit.
c. Any violation of this Chapter by a permit holder shall be subject to a fine of up to
$300 for each violation. Each day a violation exists shall constitute a separate violation.
d. Fines pursuant to this Chapter may be issued pursuant to the non-criminal ticketing
procedure in G.L.c.40, §21D. The Commissioner of Inspectional Services, the Police
Commissioner, and the Commissioner of Public Health, or their designees shall be the
enforcement officials for this Chapter.
9. Regulations
The Commissioner of Inspectional Services, as well as the Assistant City Manager for
Community Development, with the approval of the City Manager, are authorized to promulgate
regulations and to create the necessary application and permit forms, to implement this Chapter
with respect to their respective responsibilities pursuant to this Chapter. Regulatory
requirements implementing this ordinance may differ for Priority Applicants and non-Priority
applicants, such that the regulatory burden for Priority Applicants is less burdensome.
10. Effective Date
This Chapter shall take effect on ___________, 2019.
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11. Severability
The provisions of this Chapter are severable, and if any part of this Chapter should be held
invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect the remainder of the
Chapter, and the remainder of the Chapter shall remain in full force and effect.