Dear Governor Healey, Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano, and Honorable Legislators:

Massachusetts has led the nation in addressing the harms of the war on drugs, thanks to voter approval of Question 4 and subsequent updates in 2017 and 2022. 

We applaud your bold leadership in advancing equity through initiatives such as:

• Establishing the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund
• Creating Economic Empowerment applications and the Social Equity Program
• Enforcing strong license caps to promote competition and prevent market consolidation
• Reforming HCAs to protect small businesses
• Empowering the CCC to grant exclusive licenses for delivery and social consumption to equity businesses
• Requiring the CCC, municipalities, and EOED to support full participation in the industry

Unfortunately, all of your great work to advance equity in the cannabis industry is under attack.

Large, politically connected operators are lobbying to dismantle one of the pillars of equity: license ownership caps.

These profitable multistate operators are spending heavily to increase their market share—at the expense of social equity businesses. Allowing them to dominate the industry will hurt small and equity-owned businesses, deter investment, and undermine competition, harming patients and consumers alike. 

States that have loosened ownership restrictions have seen diminished equity license value and fewer opportunities for diverse operators.

We urge you to stand with social equity businesses and oppose efforts to weaken ownership caps.

Take action by:

• Refusing to sponsor or cosponsor any bills or amendments that alter license limits
• Supporting legislation that uplifts equity businesses and small operators

Thank you

Massachusetts' strong ownership limits are critical to fostering a competitive, diverse, and inclusive industry. Protecting these limits ensures the Commonwealth remains a leader in equitable cannabis policy.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to equity and economic empowerment. We count on your support to stand firm against big business and champion small, local, and equity-owned businesses.

Respectfully,

• Shanel Lindsay, Equitable Opportunities Now
• Abyan Abdullahi (Roxbury)
• Devin Alexander, Rolling Releaf (Quincy)
• Laura Alpuche Monegro, M.Ed (Lynn)
• Alethea Amponsah (Roxbury Crossing)
• Rachel Bacon, Balsamic Moon Lifted Yoga (Lynn)
• Alyssa Benalfew-Ramos, Black Economic Council of MA (Dorchester)
• Sean Berte, Firehouse (Roslindale)
• Boey Bertold, Paper Crane Cannabis (Bedford)
• Valentina Bouley (Oxford)
• Mary Boyd (Brockton)
• Ross Bradshaw, New Dia (Boston)
• Cleon Byron, Injaga LLC (Mattapan)
• Charlotte Cathro, TAC CPAs LLC (Florence)
• Shawn Cooney, cloudfarming llc (Marblehead)
• Cheryl Clyburn Crawford, Grazin (Dorchester)
• Bridgette Cruz, Ultra Premium Gas (Pawtucket, RI)
• Lucas Currier, Star Harvest, LLC (Randolph)
• Lynn Ann Currier (Randolph)
• Michael D. Cutler (Florence)
• Derek Dambrosio, Beantown Greentown (Boston)
• Erica Davis (West Warren)
• Melinda Domenici (Rehoboth)
• William Downing, Care Givers Connection, LLC (Reading)
• Karina Dymina, Beantown Greentown (Norwood)
• Kobie Evans (Boston)
• Malorie Fennell (Worcester)
• Pedro Fernandes, NEW LEAF (Fall River)
• Christopher Fevry, Dris Brands (Natick)
• Tache Figueroa, The Green Network, LLC (Brockton)
• James Finney (Boston)
• Savannah Finney, Trifecta Farms (Monson)
• Kevin Gilnack, Equitable Opportunities Now (Lowell)
• Karen Golden, Hollis HR, LLC (Norwood)
• Rafael Guzman, Honor and Will (Attleboro)
• Duane Harden, BlazeXpress (Holyoke and Haverhill)
• Kayla Hanlon, Keef Brands (Spencer)
• Megan Hansen, Canna G.E.M.S (Lynn)
• Olivia Hatten (Springfield)
• Pierce Holmes (Boston)
• Vanessa Jean-Baptiste, Legal Greens, LLC (Brockton)
• Nadia Jmili (Cambridge)
• Nike John, The Heritage Club (Dedham)
• Drudys Ledbetter, Zèb Boutique (Sharon)
• Laury Lucien (Hyde Park)
• Will Luzier, Tudestr (Allston)
• Kimberly Kutcher (West Newbury)
• Michael Marinaro, Bada Bloom Inc. (Natick)
• Lisa Mauriello, Paper Crane Cannabis (Bedford)
• Brian McHugh, Canna Space Company LLC (Wayland)
• Dr. Marion McNabb
• Joseph McCarthy (Ipswich)
• Darius Monteiro (Canton)
• Dhajja Patten (Dorchester)
• Jessica Pink (Taunton)
• Leon Porcher, Teddy's Veggie Farm (Spencer and Worcester)
• Ian Powell, Louder Minds TV (Boston)
• Robert Robilard (Fall River)
• Neil Rohr (Cambridge)
• Amanda Rositano, Soulstar Holdings / Nightjar Cannabis (Marlborough)
• Birdie Ryan, Evergreen Industries LLC (Holyoke)
• Zara Salmon, Cannabis Policy Coalition
• Ruben Seyde, Delivered, Inc. (Clinton)
• Mario Signore, Green Flash Delivery LLC (Boston)
• Phil Smith, Freshly Baked (Taunton)
• Richard Tamalavitch II, MassCann (Worcester)
• Tristan Thomas (Roxbury)
• Shaleen Title, Parabola Center for Law and Policy (Malden)
• Ilya Tunitskiy, Gan Or LLC (Becket and Northampton)
• Gabriel Vieira, Zyp Run (Dorchester)
• Kyle Wade (Lynn)
• Aidan Weinberg (Roxbury)
• Armani White, Firehouse (Hyde Park)
• Jordan Whittaker, The Weedaker Group (Quincy)
• Mike Whittaker (Quincy)
• Jessica Zambrano

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