Cannabis regulators prepare to take over medical pot
Photo | Matt Wright
Marijuana plants growing at Sira Naturals' Milford facility
The Cannabis Control Commission is holding regular meetings with Department of Public Health officials as the two agencies plot a hand-off of the state's medical marijuana program this fall.
In a status report to the Legislature earlier this month, the CCC said the DPH employees whose jobs will be transferred to the CCC have been identified and have been meeting regularly with their soon-to-be colleagues. The transfer must take place by Dec. 31, a deadline set by lawmakers.
"The Commission has addressed its legislative mandate to develop and implement an agreement for the transfer of the Medical Use of Marijuana Program with the Department," the commission wrote in its report. "Progress has been made in the areas of personnel, licensing, finance, legal, public records, technology, communications, and office space."
Though the employees that will shift to the CCC have begun meeting with CCC officials, the commission must still formally engage union representatives to discuss the transfer of any employees subject to collective bargaining agreements, the report said.
The CCC and DPH are still working on the legal documents necessary for the repeal of the DPH regulations for the medical marijuana program and for the CCC's adoption of medical program regulations. Lawyers are also working on the transfer of the medical program's trust fund to the CCC, the report said.
The CCC reported that it expects the medical marijuana program will remain stationed at DPH's 99 Chauncy St. location until the CCC moves into its permanent Worcester headquarters and Boston-area satellite offices in 2019.
As of the end of June, the medical marijuana program served 51,288 registered patients, included 6,087 registered personal caregivers, and employed 1,864 dispensary agents. There were 36 dispensaries approved to sell medical marijuana as of June 30, the report said.
The CCC has so far issued five provisional non-medical marijuana licenses -- two for cultivation, one for retail sales, one for product manufacturing and one for transportation.
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