►
Description
Boston Cannabis Board hearing on August 19, 2020 to discuss and adopt Draft Rules & Regulations.
A
Good
afternoon,
this
is
the
voting
hearing
of
the
boston
cannabis
board.
Today
is
wednesday
august
19
2020..
This
hearing
is
being
conducted
pursuant
to
temporary
changes
to
the
open
meeting
law
due
to
the
cobit
19
public
health
emergency.
This
is
what
allows
the
board
to
meet.
Virtually
today's
hearing
will
be
recorded
and
posted
to
the
city's
website.
While
this
hearing
is
open
to
the
public
and
the
public
is
welcome
and
encouraged
to
attend,
no
additional
testimony
will
be
accepted
today.
A
Before
I
introduce
the
chairwoman
and
the
commissioners,
I
want
to
note
that
a
number
of
our
commissioners
have
received
phone
calls
on
their
personal
cell
phones
from
individuals
inquiring
about
questions
they
may
have
raised
in
the
hearing.
If
you
do
not
have
a
relationship
with
someone
to
reach
out
to
them,
it
is
wholly
inappropriate
to
reach
out
to
a
member
of
this
board.
That
is
why
the
board
staff
exists.
If
you
have
a
question
about
proceedings
about
an
application
or
about
something
that
occurred
in
one
of
the
hearings,
please
email,
cannabisboard
boston.gov.
A
It
is
if
it
is
particular
to
a
commissioner.
The
staff
on
the
board
will
discuss
with
that.
Commissioner,
if
they
would
like
to
respond
again,
do
not
ask
other
people
for
commissioners
cell
phones
and
reach
out
to
them.
Personally,
it's
completely
inappropriate,
and
with
that
I
will
now
introduce
chairwoman
kathleen
joyce.
B
B
B
We
cannot
enter
into
or
execute
or
be
a
party
to
the
negotiations
of
a
host
community
agreement,
but
what
we
can
do
is
ensure
that
the
negotiations
that
begin
at
the
community
level
at
the
community
meeting
and
with
community
groups
applicants
in
the
district
city
councilors,
are
incorporated
into
the
host
community
agreement
in
a
pair
as
conditioned
on
the
face
of
the
license.
That's
our
job
to
be
sure
the
conditions
or
call
them
negotiations
are
on
the
license
and
enforced.
B
B
This
board
expects
a
draft
host
community
agreement
to
be
presented
to
the
district
city
councilor
by
monday
and
to
be
executed
by
both
parties
soon
thereafter,
our
review
and
approval
plays
one
part
in
the
successful
application
for
licensure
by
the
cannabis
control
commission
at
the
state
level,
as
an
update
to
the
board,
oh
and
to
add
to
that
the
moving
forward.
The
host
community
agreements
shall
be
executed
by
a
member
of
the
corporation
console
team,
and
I
also
want
to
give
the
board
members
an
update.
B
B
Our
rules
are
meant
to
bring
clarity
and
transparency
to
the
work
of
this
board.
I
will
testify
tomorrow.
I
am
hopeful
that
they
will
see
that
the
work
that
we
have
all
put
in
up
to
this
point
in
drafting
in
adopting
these
rules
as
well
as
today's
deliberations,
have
resulted
in
a
fair,
transparent
and
predictable
framework
with
which
to
regulate
this
industry
in
our
city,
and
I
want
to
thank
each
of
you
again
for
the
time
you
put
into
drafting
those
rules
and
regulations
and
to
getting
us
to
this
point
today.
A
As
everyone
is
aware,
this
board
was
established
pursuant
to
the
ordinance
establishing
equitable
regulation
of
the
cannabis
industry
in
the
city
of
boston
and
is
charged
with
ensuring
equity
both
in
to
whom
these
licenses
are
granted
and
in
the
geographical
distribution.
The
board
is
also
responsible
for
ensuring
a
one-to-one
ratio
of
non-equity
to
equity
licensees.
A
The
board
today
will
discuss
and
vote
on
three
applications
heard
at
the
august
12
2020
transactional
hearing.
Pursuant
to
the
ordinance.
Each
application
should
be
evaluated
on
diversity
and
inclusion,
25
employment
plan,
20
community
feedback
and
public
support,
20
location
safety
and
security,
20
parking
and
transportation
plan
15
each
application
should
be
considered
on
its
individual
merits.
A
As
you
are
aware,
the
board's
role
is
to
determine
whether
each
application
is
appropriate
regarding
the
proposed
time
place
and
manner
in
today's
proceedings.
Each
commissioner
has
the
choice
to
vote,
to
grant
a
license
to
reject
a
license
to
reject
with
prejudice,
meaning
the
applicant
does
not
reapply
for
a
period
of
one
year,
although
that
is
at
the
board's
discretion
or
to
defer
a
majority
vote
carries
and
with
that
we
will
call
verdun.
Medical
inc.
A
B
Leslie,
should
I
begin
okay.
Thank
you
bear
with
us,
as
we
try
to
figure
out
how
we
go
about
these
discussions.
Virtually
this
application
was
presented
to
us.
There
was
significant
support
for
the
application
and
there
was
some
opposition
that
I'd
just
like
to
to
point
out
the
matapan
community
health
center.
B
A
A
I
think
if
you
and
we're
all
we're
we're
building
the
bike
while
we
ride
it
as
we
as
I
keep
saying
so
any
I
think
we'll
go
through
and
any
comments
each
commissioner
wants
to
make
that
you
would
like
on
the
public
record
and
then
we'll
entertain
a
motion
after
that.
I'm
sorry,
I
should
have
been
okay,
sorry
about.
C
That
I
agree
with
commissioner
joyce,
I
think
verdant
did
its
homework.
Although
there
is
some
opposition
from
the
health
center,
I
did
see
a
willingness
for
the
owner
to
continue
to
work
in
conjunction
with
them
and
to
make
sure
that
he
brings
the
best
possible
business
that
he
can
to
matapan
square.
C
D
I
thank
you.
I
thought
that
ferdinand
had
they
basically
hit
everything
on
the
evaluation
criteria,
a
very
strong
plan.
Again,
I
think
I
agree
with
the
first
two
commissioners
on
you
know,
trying
to
mitigate
the
issues
affecting
the
health
center,
which
I
think
they
will
work
very
hard
at
doing
that.
So
I
vote
to
grant
them
permission.
E
Thank
you.
Thank
you
so
much.
I
agree
with
my
fellow
commissioners.
I
thought
that
the
proposal
was
very
strong.
As
I
mentioned
last
week,
one
of
the
things
that
really
stood
out
to
me
was
the
commitment
to
working
with
people
with
cory's.
You
know,
as
we
talk
about
the
dis,
disproportionate
impact
of
the
war
on
drugs
and
mass
incarceration
on
people
of
color,
particularly
men
of
color
and
black
men.
E
I
think
the
opportunity
that
burden
is
given
to
people
with
quarries,
particularly
those
impacted
by
marijuana
laws,
stood
out
for
me,
as
well
as
the
commitment
to
helping
other
businesses
grow.
I
did
understand
and
fully
empathize
with
matapan
health
center
and
and
the
the
closeness
to
the
addiction
center.
However,
I
will
say
you
know
there
also
are
a
number
of
liquor
stores
in
that
area
as
well
one
right
across
the
street,
so
I
think
that
it,
it
wouldn't
be
fair
to
to
discriminate
against
this.
E
F
What's
the
program
that's
going
to
get
there
and
then
how
are
they
going
to
evaluate
this,
and
so
vernon
was
very
good
at
actually
incorporating
all
of
these
things
in
each
of
the
sections
that
we
were
asked
to
score
on.
So
I
just
wanted
to
point
that
out
that
this
score
card
is
very
important
for
us,
as
as
commissioners
and
as
applicants,
to
know
what
we're
looking
for
and
to
just
again
agree
with
the
other
commissioners.
That
vernon
was
very
thoughtful
at
their
application.
F
B
D
A
F
Commissioner
lombos,
yes,
can
I
just
say
one
more
thing
too,
is
that
we
know
these
goals
are
aspirational,
so
we
look
forward
to
supporting
and
making
sure
that
we
are
doing
what
we
can
to
support
you
in
reaching
those
goals
and
these
aspirations,
including
the
hiring
and
employment,
and
reaching
those
wages
and
benefits
that
were
such
a
great
part
of
your
plan
as
well.
So
for
all
the
applicants,
I
think
that
we're
we
we
as
a
board,
are
committed
to
that
as
well.
A
Moving
on
to
the
second
agenda
item
patriot
care,
corporation
holder
of
an
operational
medical
cannabis,
dispensary
license
has
applied
for
a
recreational
cannabis,
retail
license
to
be
co-located
at
21
milk
street
in
downtown
boston.
The
applicant
is
a
non-equity
applicant.
Applicant
contact
is
larry
dekara
and
again
I
will
give
each
beginning
of
the
chairwoman
commissioner,
an
opportunity
to
make
comments
and
then,
after
the
discussion,
we
will
entertain
a
motion.
B
They
are
clear
and
collaborative
one
section
of
those
rules
which
I
think
is
very
applicable
in
my
mind.
As
far
as
the
licensing
perspective
is
the
half-mile
buffer
zone
between
cannabis
establishments
should
a
license
be
granted
to
this
applicant,
I
would
support
granting
future
applicants
and
their
participation
in
this
area
as
an
equity
applicant,
especially
an
equity
applicant.
B
I
would
I
would
support
granting
a
conditional
license
in
the
future
within
the
buffer
zone
and
would
expect
this
applicant
to
support
the
same.
This
is
a
downtown
neighborhood.
The
impact
of
the
neighborhood
here
is
huge.
The
competition
cannot
be
considered
by
this
board.
I
don't
want
to
see
this
neighborhood
locked
down
by
a
non-equity
applicant.
I
want
to
see
participation
in
this
area
by
by
equity
applicants,
and
I
would
encourage
applicants
to
apply
in
this
area.
B
So
with
those
things
in
mind,
I
just
want
to
talk
a
little
bit
about
what
we
received.
That
was
part
of
the
record,
the
the
downtown
bids.
What
is
this?
This
is
their
conditions
they
would
like
and
again
going
back
to
our
rules.
We
received
this
letter
from
the
downtown
bid,
a
letter
of
non-opposition
with
about
13
conditions
that
they
have
worked
out
on
their
own
with
the
applicant,
and
these
are
what
we
can
do
is
we
can
consider
operational
conditions.
B
Things
between
the
bid
and
this
applicant,
that
are
private
negotiations,
aren't
things
that
we
will
consider,
but
I
want
to
go
through
them
because
I
think
they're
important.
I
think
it's
important
for
the
public
to
know
that
these
negotiations
that
started
at
the
community
level
that
were
brought
before
us
that
have
been
memorialized
in
writing.
Some
of
these
things
will
make
it
into
the
host
community
agreement
and
on
the
face
of
the
license
again,
these
things
go
to
the
quality
of
life
in
the
neighborhood.
B
Here,
they've
agreed
to
operate
for
the
first
six
months,
adult
use
by
appointment
only
and
they
have
agreed
to
no
lines
and
or
tolerating
any
lines
at
this
location.
They've
taken
into
consideration.
The
neighborhoods
concerns
about
public
smoking
of
marijuana,
so
they've
agreed
to
know
pre-rolled
marijuana
products
they
will
not
allow
for
purchases.
Under
thirty
five
dollars
to
discourage
quick
small
scale
impulse
buys
they
will
insert
an
educational
card
in
each
purchase,
reminding
customers
about
the
the
smoking
marijuana
public
is
illegal.
B
Their
hours
will
be
nine
to
seven
again.
I
wanna.
I
want
to
confirm
those
to
make
sure
they're
part
of
the
host
community
agreement
and
appear
on
the
face
of
the
license
in
any
security
plan.
In
addition
to
being
shared
with
bpd
in
the
bid
has
to
be
shared
with
this
licensing,
this
licensing
board,
we
have
to
also
approve
it.
B
B
So
I
just
want
to
make
it
clear
that
those
what
we
do
have
in
front
of
us
as
the
letter
from
the
boston
bid.
Those
negotiations
started
a
long
time
ago.
They
were
brought
before
the
board.
We
considered
them
last
week,
we've
considered
them
between
now
and
our
last
meeting,
and
they
will
be
if
approved,
they
will
be
part
of
the
host
community
agreement.
B
D
Thank
you
same
as
commissioner
holmes.
I
was
asking
the
question
about
hiring
people
with
quarries,
since
they're
under
disproportionately
impacted,
saw
what
they
mentioned
in
their
plan
and
still
thinking
about
you
know
the
program
you
had
through
community
colleges.
Are
you
really
helping
people
of
color
enter
those
programs?
Are
you
providing
some
kind
of
stipend
those
kinds
of
things,
so
I
remain
a
little
concerned,
but
they
have
a
very
strong
plan
and
would
want
to
follow
up
with
them
later
on
to
make
sure
that
we're
holding
into
that.
Thank
you.
E
You
thank
you.
I
I
want
to
first
mirror
commissioner
joyce's
early
comments
about
being
able
to
grant
a
conditional
license
for
an
equity
applicant
within
this
area.
This
is
a
very
fruitful
area
for
the
industry
and
and
to
for
it
to
be
locked
down
by
a
non-equity
applicant,
I
think
would
be
unfortunate.
E
I
do
think
they
meet
a
lot
of
the
criteria
within,
and
I-
and
I
want
to
thank
commissioner
mobile's
for
for,
emphasizing
that
we're
using
our
score
sheets
to
talk
about
various
aspects
of
these
applications
and
clearly
location
is
is
a
great
one.
Clearly
past
you
know
history
having
already
the
the
medical
marijuana
and
then
the
agreement
with
the
communities
are
very
strong.
I
have
a
couple
concerns.
E
So
I
would
you
know,
love
to
see
more
information
on
that
and
then
within
the
employment
section,
there's
a
a
part
of
it
that
talks
about
it,
a
peace
agreement
and
recently
it's
become
unclear
whether
that
is
something
that
is
in
place
or
not.
I
understand
that
it's
in
place
with
11.99,
but
1199
is
no
longer
it's
not
engaged
in
that
in
in
that
industry.
So
I
would
love
to
hear
more
information
on
on
that.
E
F
F
What's
the
future
plans
of
this
particular
license,
and-
and
I
do
think
that
that
that
the
diversity
and
inclusion
in
the
very
beginning
of
our
scorecard
is
also
not
just
a
standalone-
it's
how
it
is
incorporated
at
every
single
part
of
the
plan-
and
I
don't
see
that
in
in
in
this,
in
the
presentation
or
in
the
materials
they
got
high
scores
for
me
on
parking
location
and
very
low
scores
on
community
feedback,
employment
and
diversity.
Inclusion.
F
So
again,
I
want
to
stress
how
important
utilizing
the
scorecard
is
in
and
understanding
how
it
is
that
each
commissioner
is
actually
thinking
about
each
of
these
sections
and
how
important
it
is
that
both
diversity,
inclusion
and
employment
are
are
two
very
important
pieces
of
why
this
board
was
set
up.
So
I
don't
think
it
was
a
strong
application
on
those
two
pieces
and
have
big
concerns
about
granting
this
license.
As
is.
A
Right.
Thank
you,
commissioner.
I
will
first
entertain
a
motion
and
then
should
the
board
great
vote
to
grant
this.
We
will
return
to
continue
the
discussion
on
these
proposed
conditions.
As
the
chairwoman
noted,
some
of
the
proposed
conditions
are
appropriate
for
incorporation
onto
any
license.
That's
issued,
but
some
are
more
so
between
the
applicant
licensee
and
the
community
group.
B
Thanks
leslie,
I
will
make
a
motion,
but
I
just
feel
it's
so
important
to
to
say
again
the
fact
that
the
cannabis
industry
is
going
to
be
a
multi-million
dollar
industry
in
the
city
of
boston
that
this
buffer
zone
is
very
important
to
me
as
a
board
member-
and
I
know
it's
important
to
the
other
board
members
as
well.
So
please
keep
that
in
mind.
This
is
a
very
highly
sought
after
location
in
the
city
of
boston,
and
that
is
not
lost
on
us
and
with
that
I
make
a
motion
to
grant
this
license.
A
F
E
I
would
agree,
I
would
agree
with
the
commissioner
on
that.
I
think
it's
it
would
just
be
logistically.
I
think
it
would
just
be
too
difficult
to
ensure
that
these
items
will
be
put
in
place
and
the
fact
that
there
would
be
no
way
for
us
to
then
to
say
that
they're
unsatisfactory
moving
forward
with
the
condition
already
granted.
I
think,
a
deferment
or
or
just
people's
votes.
A
A
F
E
Thank
you.
I
agree
with
my
fellow
commissioners.
I
thought
this
was
a
very
strong
application
through
and
through
also
highlights
just
the
the
importance
of
expanding
equity
within
this
industry,
and
I
think
these
two
applicants
really
demonstrate
that
and
and
also
that
they're
they're
from
the
neighborhood
that
they're
proposing
their
their
shop
to
be,
and
I
think
that
that
says
a
lot
about
who
they
are
and
their
track
record
of
employing
people
from
the
neighborhood
people
with
cory's.
D
C
Again,
I
was
very
impressed
with
these
young
gentlemen
on
their
business
savvy
and
the
fact
that
it's
a
family
business
and
that
they
really
are
expanding
into
the
community
and
the
only
question
I
had
which
they
hadn't
answered
yet
and
I'm
sure
it's
just
a
very
minor
detail
was
they
really
didn't?
Have
they
still
didn't,
have
a
plan
on
their
their
financial,
their
money,
transfer
and
banking,
and
that
aspect-
and
I
think
it
was
only
because
that
they're
working
as
a
family
with
you,
know,
homegrown
resources.
A
D
E
A
Really,
no,
no
one
opposed
all
right.
So
this
concludes
the
first
voting
hearing
of
the
cannabis
board.
Thank
you.
Everyone
as
a
reminder
to
anyone
who's
listening,
the
our
transactional
hearings
are
the
second
wednesday
of
the
month
and
which
will
be
september
9th,
and
we
will
be
working
in
the
coming
weeks
to
finalize
the
agenda
for
our
next
hearing.