Worcester chamber opposes recreational marijuana

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By Sam Bonacci

The Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce has taken a stance against the regulation and taxation of recreational marijuana but chose to avoid coming down with an opinion on the expansion of charter schools in the state.

In a release Tuesday, the chamber explained its positions with an eye towards their potential impact on businesses. The chamber cited concerns about safety and implementation in their stance against the recreational marijuana ballot measure. First saying there are potential general public safety risks, but also concerns from member businesses regarding no clear test for marijuana impairment in the moment and apprehensions regarding managing workplace addictions and the consumption of marijuana or marijuana-based edibles by employees in the workplace.

Additionally, the organization raised concerns about the details of the implementation process, which would have to be started following the Nov. 8 vote. This would be made even more difficult with the new law set to go into effect by Dec. 15, if it passes.

“We have seen how difficult this process has also been for the medical marijuana industry, which is smaller in scale than full blown legalization, and this compounds our concerns,” reads the statement from the chamber.

The chamber’s no position on charter schools comes from a need for each community to be able to make this decision, the organization said in the release. Additionally, there must be a review of the current funding mechanism to ensure that there is proper funding for all public education.