When Massachusetts residents voted to legalize recreational cannabis in 2016, many saw the shift as an opportunity for increased equity and economic opportunity in communities of color.
But a decade later, some business owners from those communities say that as the industry is in flux, the state doesn't have all the necessary support for equity operators, leaving stores to try to figure out on their own what things will look like next. And with the prospect of a ballot measure that might upend the whole industry, dispensary owners feel even more like they have been set out to sea.
Dennis Benzan, CEO of Western Front, a cannabis business with stores in Chelsea and Cambridge, is one such proprietor. "I think many of us have had more than enough faith in an industry that started with a number of different promises, some of which are slowly being fulfilled for many of us a day too late," Benzan said.
One major concern is oversaturation in the industry. According to data from the state's Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), there are 454 active recreational cannabis retailer licenses in the state. Of those, 136 are licensed under the state's three programs targeted at supporting diverse operators.
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