MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE TO CONSIDER LEGALIZING CANNABIS

Danvers - The state Legislature's Joint Committee on Revenue will hold
a hearing on H 2929, "An Act to regulate and tax the cannabis
industry," Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m., in Room B2 of the State
House. Identical legislation filed in the Senate as S. 1801* is
pending before the Committee on the Judiciary.

Modeled after Chapter 138 of the Massachusetts General Laws, the
Alcohol Beverage Control Act, the bills allow those over 21 to
cultivate cannabis for their personal use and to give cannabis to
others over 21 years of age, provide for creation of a Cannabis
Control Authority, analogous to the Alcoholic Beverage Commission, to
oversee the issuance of cultivation licenses, processing licenses,
trade licenses, retail licenses, import licenses, research licenses
and farmer-processor-retailer licenses, and the bills establish
licensing fees and excises taxes on cannabis sold at retail.

One hundred years of prohibition, at a cost of hundreds of millions of
dollars, failed to prevent consumption from becoming so common in the
commonwealth that clearly current law prohibiting commerce in cannabis
does not have the consent of the people.

Before Question 2, our Legislature refused to discuss reforming the
law. Do they now have the courage to lead the nation by regulating
cannabis as we do the more dangerous tobacco, beer, wine and hard
cider? Such an approach reduces disobedience to levels consistent with
the notions of the consent of the people and justice.

For more information go to Mass Cann's Media Briefing H 2929 & S1801
"An Act to regulate and tax the cannabis industry," at
http://tinyurl.com/yfarg7s

Massachusetts Cannabis Reform CoalitionNORML

A State Affiliate of the National Organization for the Reform of
Marijuana Laws

P.O. Box 0266, Georgetown, MA 01833-0366

781-944-2266

http://www.masscann.org/