Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
The Cannabis Control Commission today voted to approve a model host community agreement that it developed in accordance with a comprehensive cannabis law enacted in 2022 that requires the CCC to draft rules around HCAs, as well as social equity.
Along with the template, the CCC released a guidance document on HCAs.
The CCC had released a draft model host community agreement for comment on Jan. 17 and opened a two-week comment period through Jan. 31. The CCC’s vote to approve the 10-page template came a day before the March 1 deadline set by Chapter 180 of the Acts of 2022.
The HCA template approved by the CCC had only minor changes from the draft. The CCC said the template will be posted soon on its website.
All marijuana establishments and medical marijuana treatment centers must have an executed host community agreement with the municipality within which they operate. The model agreement conforms with new regulations under Chapter 180, and the CCC has stated that agreements that conform to the model HCA will be presumed compliant. Communities with existing HCAs are encouraged to use the model as a guide to determine their compliance, while new stakeholders are encouraged to use the template going forward. All HCAs will be reviewed with the new guidance in place.
On Jan. 31, the MMA and the Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association jointly submitted a letter to the CCC expressing support for the clarity that a draft host community agreement would provide along with concerns about the need for additional clarity for both municipalities and licensees.
The CCC created the model host community agreement as part of its Phase 1 of rule promulgation under Chapter 180. The commission is expected to create rules around social equity as part of its Phase 2 in the coming months.