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| 2 | 2 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1143 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 3 | 3 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 88 |
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| 4 | 4 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 5 | 5 | | _________________ |
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| 6 | 6 | | PRESENTED BY: |
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| 7 | 7 | | Liz Miranda |
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| 8 | 8 | | _________________ |
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| 9 | 9 | | To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General |
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| 10 | 10 | | Court assembled: |
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| 11 | 11 | | The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill: |
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| 12 | 12 | | An Act protecting cannabis equity businesses by enforcing ownership limits. |
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| 13 | 13 | | _______________ |
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| 14 | 14 | | PETITION OF: |
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| 15 | 15 | | NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Liz MirandaSecond Suffolk 1 of 3 |
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| 16 | 16 | | SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1143 FILED ON: 1/15/2025 |
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| 17 | 17 | | SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 88 |
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| 18 | 18 | | By Ms. Miranda, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 88) of Liz Miranda for legislation |
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| 19 | 19 | | to protect cannabis equity businesses by enforcing ownership limits. Cannabis Policy. |
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| 20 | 20 | | The Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
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| 21 | 21 | | _______________ |
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| 22 | 22 | | In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court |
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| 23 | 23 | | (2025-2026) |
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| 24 | 24 | | _______________ |
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| 25 | 25 | | An Act protecting cannabis equity businesses by enforcing ownership limits. |
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| 26 | 26 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority |
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| 27 | 27 | | of the same, as follows: |
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| 28 | 28 | | 1 SECTION 1. Section 4(a) of Chapter 94G of the General Laws is amended by inserting, |
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| 29 | 29 | | 2at the end of the subsection, the following subsections:- |
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| 30 | 30 | | 3 (XXXIII) conduct an audit of all marijuana establishment and marijuana treatment center |
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| 31 | 31 | | 4license owners to ensure compliance with Chapter 94G, Section 16. |
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| 32 | 32 | | 5 (XXXIV) establish a whistleblower protection program for individuals reporting |
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| 33 | 33 | | 6violations of ownership limits, other anti-competitive practices, workplace safety violations, and |
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| 34 | 34 | | 7other violations of commission regulations by marijuana establishments, marijuana treatment |
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| 35 | 35 | | 8centers, and municipalities. Protections shall include safeguarding against retaliation in |
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| 36 | 36 | | 9employment, financial penalties, or other forms of retribution for workers, investors, and any |
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| 37 | 37 | | 10other individual with relevant information. The program shall include clear processes for |
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| 38 | 38 | | 11reporting and addressing complaints and publicly reporting the findings. 2 of 3 |
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| 39 | 39 | | 12 (XLI) establish and maintain an anonymous tip line for individuals to report suspected |
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| 40 | 40 | | 13violations of ownership limits or other anti-competitive practices within the cannabis industry. |
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| 41 | 41 | | 14The tip line shall be accessible by phone and online submission and developed in partnership |
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| 42 | 42 | | 15with the cannabis advisory board and a working group or at least one public listening session |
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| 43 | 43 | | 16with public feedback from stakeholders. |
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| 44 | 44 | | 17 (XLII) publish and maintain a publicly accessible database of license ownership |
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| 45 | 45 | | 18information. The database shall include but not be limited to the names of licensees, the |
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| 46 | 46 | | 19percentage of ownership interest held by each individual or entity, and other relevant details as |
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| 47 | 47 | | 20determined by the commission. The data shall be updated regularly and made available in an |
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| 48 | 48 | | 21easily accessible format, including but not limited to being accessible through the cannabis |
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| 49 | 49 | | 22control commission license tracker and retail finder in a manner that allows users to easily view |
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| 50 | 50 | | 23related records and access all publicly available information is a web-accessible format, provided |
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| 51 | 51 | | 24that the database shall not include personal contact information or other protected information. |
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| 52 | 52 | | 25 SECTION 2. Section 9 of Chapter 12A of the General Laws is amendment by inserting, |
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| 53 | 53 | | 26at the end of the section, the following:- |
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| 54 | 54 | | 27 The Inspector General shall have the authority to audit compliance with ownership limits |
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| 55 | 55 | | 28established pursuant to Chapter 94G, Section 16 and related regulations, including but not |
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| 56 | 56 | | 29limited to reviewing ownership structures, financial arrangements, and management agreements |
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| 57 | 57 | | 30of cannabis license holders. Findings shall be reported to the Cannabis Control Commission and |
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| 58 | 58 | | 31the chairs of the joint committee on cannabis policy. |
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| 59 | 59 | | 32 SECTION 2. Section 12 of Chapter 11 of the General Laws is amendment by inserting, at |
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| 60 | 60 | | 33the end of the section, the following:- 3 of 3 |
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| 61 | 61 | | 34 The department of state auditor shall have the authority to audit compliance with |
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| 62 | 62 | | 35ownership limits established pursuant to Chapter 94G, Section 16 and related regulations, |
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| 63 | 63 | | 36including but not limited to reviewing ownership structures, financial arrangements, and |
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| 64 | 64 | | 37management agreements of cannabis license holders. Findings shall be reported to the Cannabis |
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| 65 | 65 | | 38Control Commission and the chairs of the joint committee on cannabis policy. |
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