With an estimated 800,000 weed smokers living and toking in Massachusetts and a likely heading for the November ballot question that could bring recreational marijuana to the state, we figured there’s a demand for some pot talk in the Valley.
Enter “O, Cannabis,” a monthly Advocate column about marijuana, in all its stages of legality, and the culture that surrounds the drug/medicine. On a personal level, I’m not going to cop to anything illegal, but I will say that one of my favorite movies of all time is Friday and I’ve seen the Dead about 15 times. So, yeah, I’m familiar with the sights, sounds, smells, and debates — serious and whimsical — that sprout up around the green.
Let’s kick things off with a State of Marijuana in State Address. In March, the Senate’s Special Commission on Marijuana delivering its first report on the impact legalizing weed could have on the state. The report covers everything from who’s smoking and how much to the timeline for legalization, possible health and economic impacts, and taxes. It’s kind of like a crystal ball peering into the state’s sticky-icky future. Let’s take a peek.
Who’s got reefer madness in Mass?
According to the Senate report, it is estimated that about 2.5 million people in Massachusetts have smoked or consumed marijuana in other ways during their lifetimes. More than 190,000 people in the state smoke on a daily basis; while about 600,000 more residents said they smoked at least once within the past year. All together, marijuana enthusiasts in Massachusetts consume about 3 million ounces of weed a year — or about 168 million half-gram servings. As a point of comparison, in 2012, Massachusetts residents consumed more than 3 billion servings of beer, wine, and spirits. People are a bit clueless as to how much Bay Staters are spending on black market pot because pot prices vary with quality and it’s hard to tell how kind the buds are that everyone’s consuming. The Senate estimates that Massachusetts residents are spending $230 million to $900 million a year on street weed. On the legal side of the equation, there are nearly 24,000 card-carrying medical marijuana users in the state.
What’s the future hold?
The future is looking pleasantly hazy — purple hazy. Through a citizen petition organized by the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol, a question asking Massachusetts voters to legalize recreational marijuana is likely to appear on the November ballot. The state Legislature has until May 3 to approve, reject, or do nothing with the petition. If nothing is done, which is likely, or if politicians reject it, supporters will be required to collect another 10,000 signatures by July to get the question before voters.
But the petition isn’t the only pro-pot measure before politicians. In late 2015, State Rep. David Rogers (D-Cambridge) filed a bill to legalize recreational marijuana in Massachusetts. Except for a restriction on the number of retailers that would be allowed in the state, Rogers’ bill is nearly identical to the proposed ballot measure proposed by the Campaign. Rogers says he filed the bill to promote discussion among his colleagues ahead of November, though it hasn’t done that. The Campaign said it would pull its ballot initiative if Rogers’ bill is passed.
The Massachusetts ballot question calls for the state to legalize recreational marijuana and regulate it by setting the purchase age to 21 and the legal personal possession limit as 1 ounce. Smoking weed in public would be regulated to the same extent as smoking tobacco. If approved, the ballot measure would create a Cannabis Control Commission to set and monitor regulations, including ensuring that marijuana is sold in child-proof packaging. The measure doesn’t set a potency limit for THC — the chemical that produces pot’s high — but the Senate is suggesting that one be set at least for marijuana concentrates.
If Massachusetts plays its cards right …
In the first year of legalization, the state could make an estimated $50 million to $60 million in new tax revenue, the Senate found. About half of this money would be eaten up by marijuana regulation, addiction services, and public education, the Senate report notes, but there would still be millions left over for the general fund. In its first year of legalized recreational pot, Colorado collected about $87 million in new taxes and fees; Washington collected an additional $75 million in state levies.
The Massachusetts revenue estimates are based on a high reefer tax that could cripple the legal marijuana economy before retail shops even open. The Senate is proposing a marijuana excise tax of 5-15 percent on growers, a pot sales tax of 10-20 percent on retailers, and permission for an additional local option sales tax of up to 5 percent.
All told, that could mean a total state and local tax of up to 40 percent. Over-taxing weed is tempting, but ultimately unhelpful. If legal marijuana prices aren’t competitive with street nugs, which are easy to obtain, then the law won’t stymie the black market — it will provide a blanket under which hustlers can better hide their business.
Speaking of business: under the ballot measure, medical marijuana dispensaries would get first crack at selling recreational weed.
The ballot measure doesn’t include any date for when retail stores could open, but it does provide the state an opportunity to allow medical marijuana dispensaries to sell recreational pot as early as Jan. 1, 2018. In Colorado and Washington, recreational marijuana shops were doing business 421 to 610 days after elections approving fun times with weed. The Massachusetts measure does, however, make legal the possession, use, and home growing of marijuana just 37 days post- election. So, for all of you counting the days to legalization, it may be time to invest in some gardening supplies. It’ll be a whole new kind of green for your thumb.•
Kristin’s not here, man, but you can reach her at editor@valleyadvocate.com with all your marijuana news tips, questions, comments, stoner stories, and rants.
