Vineyard cannabis businessman Geoff Rose has filed a joint lawsuit with a Nantucket-based dispensary against the state Cannabis Control Commission in an effort to enable the legal transport of cannabis to the islands for commercial sales.
The lawsuit, filed with the Suffolk County Superior Court on Tuesday, wants the state to allow dispensaries to ship cannabis to the Islands by boat, and not punish them for doing so. The plaintiffs are seeking an expedited hearing.
"We're at a critical juncture," Rose said, who owns the cannabis store Island Time in Vineyard Haven. He jointly filed the suit with the Green Lady Dispensary on Nantucket. He said his business, as well as supplies for 234 medical cannabis users in Dukes County, are at stake unless a solution is found.
Commissioners recently discussed whether to enact an emergency order to permit shipping cannabis on state-controlled waterways, where it is currently restricted. Cannabis is a controlled substance under federal law, and it is illegal to transport it across federal waters, such as Vineyard Sound. Fine Fettle in West Tisbury is the Island's only legal cannabis grower, but it plans to shut its doors by September, cutting off the local source. It has already stopped growing cannabisUS on the Vineyard.
Read more at mvtimes.com