PRESS RELEASE: MASSACHUSETTS CANNABIS COALITION FORMALLY LAUNCHES, ANNOUNCES BOARD MEMBERS
BOSTON, MA - (February 21, 2024) Today, with the backing of a wide array of diverse and passionate business owners in the cannabis industry, the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition (MCC) announced its official launch and a new Board of Directors.
The MCC is a cannabis trade association dedicated to serving the needs of all cannabis business license-holder and ancillary businesses in every zip code. The MCC will focus on working with the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) and the legislature to pass reforms to create a more consumer friendly and competitive business environment. Examples include Host Community Agreement reform, licensing requirements and consumption limits. The MCC will also focus on supporting the cannabis workforce and offer a platform for members to have a productive dialogue between license holders, regulators and public officials.
“The Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition aims to unite the cannabis industry and create a better social, economic, and regulatory landscape in the Commonwealth,” said Ryan Dominguez, Founder and Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition. “In the years since legalization, the industry has learned valuable lessons about fostering a fair and competitive environment. Our goal at the MCC is to be a voice driving positive change from Beacon Hill to local storefronts and to create more opportunities for success for all.”
Members of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition represent a diverse cross section of the cannabis industry, ranging from recreational to medicinal dispensary owners to large and small dispensaries to growers and cultivators. The MCC is also supported by ancillary businesses ranging from the financial services to the legal industry. The Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition has also announced Members of the Board of Directors:
● Anthony Parrinello, ClearSky Cannabis
● Brandon Pollock, Theory Wellness
● Gyasi Sellers, Treevit
● Jeff Herold, Garden Remedies
● Payton Shubrick, 6 Brick’s
● Shelley Stormo, PharmaCann
● Toby Nuber, Good Chemistry
While cannabis sales are up in Massachusetts– reaching $5 billion in recreational sales since 2018– the industry has been facing several challenges impacting business, workforce and fiscal sustainability. According to recent state data, 16 licenses granted to businesses have been revoked, surrendered or not renewed since 2018. And as reported by the Boston Business Journal, cannabis employment is down across Massachusetts.
“As the CEO of a vertically integrated cannabis company, my vision for the MCC is to be a catalyst for progressive change and sustainable growth,” said Jeff Herold, CEO of Garden Remedies. “Our goal is to advocate for fair and sensible regulations that protect consumers while creating a friendly business environment. This coalition is unique due to our members’ comprehensive understanding of the local market, diverse membership and collaborative approach to create a unified voice for the industry.”
“My hope is that the MCC can help to course-correct the challenging aspects of the industry. As a small business owner, I want to ensure equitable and fair practices for all while creating an authentic community of well-intentioned, diverse thinkers,” said Payton Shubrick, CEO & Founder of 6 Brick’s Recreational Dispensary in Springfield. “This Coalition will consider diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging into all of our actions in order to be accessible and supportive of the entire industry.”
“FitzCanna, Inc. was founded to help cultivators and manufacturers clear hurdles in the cannabis industry, and we are confident that the MCC will have great success at solving the numerous challenges that still exist statewide,” said Shauna Fitzgerald, Founder and CEO of FitzCanna, Inc. in Clinton. “Our team is proud to be part of MCC to bring new and diverse voices to the table to work collaboratively with public officials to move the industry forward in a productive and efficient manner.”
Recently, Executive Director Ryan Dominguez was jointly appointed to the Cannabis Social Equity Advisory Board by Governor Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell and State Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg.
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BOSTON GLOBE: New cannabis trade group launches in Massachusetts
By Diti Kohli
2/21/24
A new cannabis trade association, the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition, launched Wednesday with the support of 30-some marijuana businesses statewide and a seven-person board of directors, which includes big-name brands like Theory Wellness and Good Chemistry.
Founder and executive Ryan Dominguez said the coalition is a first-of-its-kind effort to unite Massachusetts cannabis entrepreneurs of all kinds under one umbrella.
“Until now, there has not been a united voice,” he said. “Legislators are not always sure where to go for feedback on policy efforts. We need to get together.”
The group’s top priority, he said, is representing the interests of cannabis businesses at a difficult time in the industry. The Cannabis Control Commission reported earlier this month that Massachusetts saw record-breaking cannabis sales in 2023. But the state continues to struggle with an over-saturation of dispensaries, and many smaller operators are grappling with the threat of closure, added Dominguez, also a member of the state’s Cannabis Social Equity Advisory Board and founder of Mass CultivatED, a nonprofit that trains people with criminal records to work in the marijuana industry.
”This coalition is unique due to our members’ comprehensive understanding of the local market, diverse membership, and collaborative approach to create a unified voice for the industry,” said Jeff Herold, CEO of Garden Remedies and a coalition board member.
BOSTON BUSINESS JOURNAL: A new cannabis industry group has launched in Massachusetts
By Cassie McGrath, Boston Business Journal
2/21/24
A new cannabis industry group launched on Wednesday in an effort to advocate for changes needed to keep marijuana businesses alive.
Called the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition, the group plans to address the needs of dispensaries, growers, labs, ancillary businesses and all other licenses in cannabis to regulators at both the Cannabis Control Commission and the Legislature.
The group was founded by Ryan Dominguez, executive director at MassCultivatED and member of the state’s Cannabis Social Equity Advisory Board. Dominguez said the coalition is seeking to make the industry more equitable, competitive and profitable.
“Our overall goal is to be able to represent the whole industry and bring everybody under a united voice and use this platform to really talk about issues that we can all agree upon, and really push forward to educate the Legislature as well as our regulators," said Dominguez.
The cannabis industry had its biggest sales year yet in 2023, bringing in $1.79 billion in recreational and medical marijuana sales. But the growth in sales does not reflect in profits for operators, or even a successful industry, Jeff Herold, CEO of Garden Remedies said.
“I talk to operators every single day, and I can't tell you any that are doing well. I'm afraid that the story that's out there publicly is a growing industry that's thriving. It’s actually the opposite,” Herold said. “The MCC will attempt to focus on things that will either drive down costs or bring up revenue potential for all of our members. It’s about survival.”
First priorities
The Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition already has plans in the works about what initiatives it would like to take on.
First, the group plans to advocate for medical marijuana patients with cards from other states to be allowed to purchase cannabis in Massachusetts. They also want the state to eliminate the requirement that medical marijuana be sold by the same company that grew the product, so that medical sales are more accessible.
The MCC is also looking for the state to require workers to have fewer badges. Currently, workers at cannabis business must be a registered agent with a badge for each facility they work in. Each of these badges requires a fee, which becomes expensive for small businesses. The coalition wants the agent registration to be attached to the worker, rather than the business, so it’s easier to move jobs within cannabis.
The MCC also plans to advocate for reforms to host community agreements — the contracts that municipalities forge with cannabis businesses before they can open. The CCC is already working on this reform, and the coalition wants to make sure its interests are represented.
The group also plans to push for recreational customers to be allowed to purchase two ounces of cannabis at once. Current requirements limit purchases to one ounce.
“A lot of the changes we're pushing for help to create equity regardless of license type — and that's really important as we think about the future of cannabis,” Payton Shubrick, CEO of 6 Brick’s said.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition also plans to release data and studies about the industry for regulators and lawmakers to review.
The coalition has about 30 members so far and is looking to grow. Its board members include Dominguez, Herold and Shubrick, as well as Anthony Parrinello, CEO of ClearSky Cannabis; Brandon Pollock, CEO of Theory Wellness; Gyasi Sellers, CEO of Treevit; Shelley Stormo, vice president at PharmaCann; and Toby Nuber CFO and COO at Good Chemistry.
“It's a really important time for us to come together because so many folks are quite frankly struggling,” Shubrick said. “This creates a very real voice for us to be able to inform key decision makers on what we as business owners...need, in order to continue to have a vibrant industry. Because right now, if you're an operator, it'd be hard to describe the industry as vibrant."