According to a new study paid for by the Massachusetts Cannabis Business Association, marijuana businesses in the state have paid at least $2.46 million in fees that were more than lawfully allowed under “host community agreements.”
The study was conducted by the University of Massachusetts in Boston and was released this week during a legislative committee hearing on the issue, according to the Worcester Business Journal.
Lawmakers are considering measures to bolster oversight and enforcement of the agreements.
“The Commonwealth’s failure to clearly enforce the law around host community agreements has resulted in a regulatory state where legalized extortion is the norm,” Massachusetts Cannabis Business Association President and CEO David O’Brien stated.
“Cannabis businesses are happy to pay their fair share of reasonable municipal costs related to their operation, but municipalities can’t just ask for a blank check with no accountability.”
It was in 2020 that the Massachusetts House passed a measure that would have given the state’s Cannabis Control Commission oversight and enforcement authority over the contracts.
Unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic derailed further legislative action. The Worcester Business Journal has said the lawmakers are now busy again with nine bills to consider.