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From YouTube: Boston's Equitable Regulation of the Cannabis Industry
Description
Mayor Walsh will join City Councilor Kim Janey and members of the Boston City Council for a signing ceremony of an ordinance establishing equitable regulation of the Cannabis Industry in the City of Boston.
A
B
Good
morning,
oh
good,
good
afternoon,
good
afternoon,
it
is
it's
an
exciting
day
and
it's
been
a
lot
of
work
to
get
us
here
today.
My
name
is
John
barrows,
I'm,
chief
of
economic
development
for
the
city
of
Boston
and
I'm,
proud
to
be
standing
up
here
for
a
day
that
marks
real
progress
in
equity
within
our
economic
growth,
and
it's
been
a
lot
of
partner
system
I'm.
Allowing
me
to
talk
about
that.
That's
got
us
here
today,
because
my
job
is
simple.
B
My
job
is
to
say,
welcome
and
then
bring
up
the
mayor
of
the
city
who
at
one
point
pulled
a
lot
of
us
in
and
said
we
want
Boston
to
be
a
leader
in
terms
of
how
we
address
equity,
particularly
in
this
new
emerging
industry
and
then
threaten
to
fire
us.
If
we
don't
get
it
right,
working
with
with
the
council
and
the
councillor,
particularly
I'm
gonna.
Let
him
talk
about
that
and
I
want
to
bring
up
mayor
Walsh
the
mayor
of
city
of
Boston.
That's
here
for
our
men.
A
The
legal
cannabis
industry
in
Massachusetts
is
brand
new.
There
is
no.
There
was
no
real
road
map
on
to
what
we're
doing
here.
We
went
around
the
country
and
kind
of
looked
to
Denver
as
an
opportunity
and
on
Colorado
on
how
would
set
something
like
this
up.
But
when
we
set
up
our
office,
Alexis
could
chuck
is
here.
Alexis
is
the
person
who
runs
our
office.
We
started
think
about.
How
do
we
take
in
applications
with
with
the
importance
of
keeping
equity
at
the
forefront?
A
A
A
If
you
will
the
last
stop
in
setting
up
the
beginning
of
this
industry
in
Massachusetts,
and
we
looked
at
all
we've
done
and
I
think
today
we
have
a
tremendous
opportunity
to
regulate
this
industry
and
what
we've
learned
in
the
short
time
that
we've
been
doing
it
in
what
we've
learned
from
watching
other
cities
and
towns
in
the
Commonwealth
of
Massachusetts
who
have
created
something
in
boards.
Not
many
of
them
have
proved
anything
I
think
we
have
to.
A
Is
it
to
approved
in
the
chrome
off
32
to
that
open
in
the
Cromwell
right
now
and
and
we're
moving
forward.
So
this
has
been
kind
of
a
slow
and
steady
process,
and
this
process
needs
to
be
done
right
and
you
know
a
lot
of
people
talked
about
other
cities
and
towns
and
what
they
have
done
and
what
they're
able
to
create
with
the
cannabis
industry,
but
they
never
opened
a
shop.
They
haven't
even
approved
an
industry
yet
and
they're
indifferent
people
are
referencing
different
cities
and
towns
and
Massachusetts
is
the
way
to
do
it.
A
They
have
an
open
one
yet
and
we've
gone
way
down
the
road
here.
So
I
think
we
have
an
opportunity
here
in
Boston
to
unlock
economic
opportunities
in
our
neighborhoods
to
create
a
standard
of
equity
across
not
just
Boston,
not
just
Massachusetts
but
across
the
entire
country,
because
what
I'm
about
to
sign
what
was
passed
and
what
we
worked
on
is
landmark
when
it
comes
to
cannabis
in
the
industry.
Here
in
the
country,
not
just
here
in
Boston
in
Massachusetts,
we
create
a
we're
going
to
create
a
cannabis,
Boston
cannabis
board.
A
A
We
counsel
myself
spoke
to
get
this
ordinance
passed
and
we
put
in
the
language
specifically
in
there
that
the
mayor
shall
create
a
cannabis
port.
So
that
means
it's
going
to
happen
and
we're
gonna
make
sure
that
happens
and
we're
gonna
be
working
on
that
right
now,
as
we
move
forward.
This
ordinance
that
that
I'm
about
to
sign
today
will
helps
right.
The
wrongs
of
the
past,
certainly
since
the
1970s
that
the
American
war
on
drugs
has
been
devastating
to
a
lot
of
people,
but,
most
importantly
to
communities
of
color
and
there's.
A
There's
no
secret
and
I.
Don't
really
have
to
say
that
to
people,
but
they
we
have
to
acknowledge
it
as
much
as
possible
as
we
continue
to
move
forward
across
the
country.
People
of
color
been
disproportionately
arrested
for
low-level
drug
crimes
over
over
the
over
the
past
four
or
five
decades,
quite
honestly,
contribute
to
the
cycle
of
poverty
and
pain
that
it
persists
for
generations
and
a
lot
of
people
now
are
recognizing
that
and
saying
that
we've
heard
it
for
the
last.
You
know
presidential
campaigns,
probably
the
last
eight
years.
A
We've
heard
that
conversation,
but
we
have
an
opportunity
here
in
Boston
to
undo
some
of
that
damage,
not
just
talk
about
it
and
acknowledge
it
and
recognize
it,
but
actually
undo
the
damage
that
was
done.
We're
gonna
make
sure
that
the
communities
that
were
hit
the
hardest
by
these
policies
benefit
the
most
from
the
new
economic
opportunities,
something
that
that
was
I.
Think
quite
honestly.
A
lot
of
reason.
A
Why
the
the
law
passed
in
the
first
place,
with
the
voters
of
Massachusetts
when
it
was
explained,
we're
creating
the
Boston
cannabis
equity
program
to
support
applicants
who
have
been
disproportionately
impacted
by
the
war
on
drugs?
This
program
includes
technical
assistance.
This
is
money
that
we
put
aside
at
the
behest
of
the
counselor
during
the
budget
process
last
year
to
provide
technical
assistance
and
legal
compliance.
We're
also
creating
a
fund
to
provide
the
resources
for
applicants
equity
in
the
merit.
Marijuana
industry
has
been
a
priority
of
this
administration
for
a
long
time.
A
We
actually
put
five
hundred
thousand
dollars
in
the
lashes
budget
that
was
voted
on
by
the
City
Council.
We're
gonna
be
matching
the
next
500
out
of
the
the
revenue,
the
first
three
percent
of
revenue.
That's
coming.
All
of
that
is
going
right
into
this
equity
fund
till
we
get
to
a
million
dollars
and
then
then
we
will
start
taking
a
percent
of
the
ready
revenue
going
into
the
fund
and
two
percent
into
the
general
fund,
which
will
be
using
for
other
other
things.
So
we're
going
to
be
doing
that
here
in
the
city.
A
We
can
explain
that
later.
If
anyone
wants
to
know
specifics
about
it.
Ever
since
the
people
of
Massachusetts
voted
to
legalize
recreational
marijuana,
we've
worked
to
make
the
law
implement
in
the
right
way.
We
created
the
office
of
emerging
industries.
We
also
are
the
first
seat
in
America
to
have
approved
economic
empowerment
applicants,
which
won't
be
clear
on
that
with
the
first
city
in
in
in
Massachusetts
to
have
state
approved
economic
empowerment,
applicants,
and
since
that
time
we
have
two
more
so
we
have
three
in
the
city
of
Boston,
which
is
which
is
good
stuff.
A
We
have
been
very
deliberate
in
our
efforts
to
promote
racial
diversity
in
the
industry.
In
fact,
one
of
the
first
and
only
cities
in
the
nation
to
include
race
inequity
designations
here
in
Boston
Massachusetts,
which
is
another
another
nice
win.
We
hope
more
cities
will
be
modeling.
What
we
did
here
and
what
we're
doing
here
in
Boston
to
to
make
a
nationwide
mandate
and,
quite
honestly,
a
statewide
mandate,
not
just
in
Nationwide,
but
here
in
the
Commonwealth
of
Massachusetts,
is
plenty
some
other
cities
and
towns
that
will
be
able
to
look
and
see.
A
We
did
here.
This
ordinance
is
one
of
many
steps
taken
to
make
our
economic
economy
more
inclusive.
What
we're
trying
to
do
here
and
we're
working
to
to
create
pathways
into
the
middle
class,
especially
for
women
in
people
color
with
job
training,
free
Community,
College,
small
business
support
home
ownership.
I
recently
just
signed
an
executive
order
about
procurement,
which
will
help
ensure
a
business
enterprise
have
equal
access
to
contracts
in
the
city.
A
Again,
as
I
said,
the
day,
I
signed
it,
it's
a
piece
of
paper,
what
my
signature
on
it
and
unless
action
is
taken
on
it,
it's
just
going
to
be
a
piece
of
paper,
my
signature
on
it,
so
we
can
celebrate
the
signing
of
it.
But
if
it's
not
something
doesn't
happen
on,
it
doesn't
work
at
the
same
time
we're
working
on
dismantling
prison
pipelines
to
our
office
for
training,
citizens
I,
don't
see
Kevin
Sibley
here,
but
Kevin
is
doing
some
some
great
work
on
this
we're
making
unprecedented
investments
in
recovery
and
addiction
services.
A
On
top
of
all
that,
we've
done
crime
is
down
significantly
and
arrested
down
as
well,
but
there's
still
too
many
people
caught
up
in
a
horrible
cycle,
a
cycle
I
would
say
cycle
of
poverty
which
turns
into
a
cycle
of
violence,
and
we
have
to.
We
have
to
continue
to
move
forward.
We
also
with
the
governor
today
representing
Holmes
and
myself
and
city
councilor,
niece
RB,
George
and
City
Councilman
O'malley.
A
We
just
signed
the
new
Act
into
place
for
additional
funding,
one
hundred
about
a
billion
dollars
of
new
revenue
into
our
schools,
which
will
be
roughly
fourteen
million
a
year
for
Boston
over
the
next
seven
years.
So
again,
it's
about
creating
opportunities
for
young
people
to
put
them
on
a
path
to
success.
A
All
of
what
we
talk
to
all
of
what
I'm
talking
about
today
and
I'm,
going
to
bring
the
counselor
up
in
a
second
it's
about
creating
structural
change,
we're
going
to
continue
to
invest
in
bold,
progressive
reforms
that
lift
people
up,
that's
something
that
is
so
important
to
us.
We
need
to
work
together
to
show
a
better
way
forward,
and
today
is
a
big
step
in
that
direction.
I
want
to
thank
all
the
partners
in
the
room
here
today
for
your
continued
efforts
and
and
and
persistence,
know
if
that's
the
right
word
or
whatever.
A
The
word
is,
but
I
want
to
thank
you
and
and
now
again
before
I
bring
the
collar
up.
I
just
want
to
thank
Matt
O'malley
Anitra
sabe
George,
the
other
members
looking
on
salon
here
in
Council
Jeanne
was
going
to
come
up
here
in
a
minute.
There's
a
lot
of
talk
about
politics
today
and
about
you
know
the
council
and
the
role
of
the
council
in
the
role
of
Emir
and
the
role
of
accounts
that
role
the
mirror
files
are
all
the
mayor
and
the
press.
A
That's
here
loves
to
write
about
it
and,
what's
going
on
a
government,
that's
successful
in
a
government
that
works.
There's
a
government-
that's
collaborative
and
we've
watched-
what's
happened
in
Washington
over
the
last
25
years
and
we
watch
the
government
in
Washington
that
doesn't
collaborate
when
you
can't
agree
on
anything
together,
whether
you're,
a
Democrat
or
Republican
or
independent.
That
hurts
our
democracy
and
we
need
to
continue
to
collaborate
together.
At
one
point,
in
my
life,
I
was
a
state
representative.
A
I
was
one
of
160
voices,
but
I
felt
that
when
I
spoke
about
an
issue,
my
voice
was
the
most
important
voice
in
that
chamber
at
that
time,
and
that's
that's
how
we
need
to
look
at
this
everybody.
That's
here
today.
In
elective
office
goes
on
the
ballot
just
like
I,
do
and
I
think
that
I
want
to
congratulate
the
counselor
who's
done.
Sir
Mendes
two
months
of
work
on
this,
this
was
her
priority.
A
She
came
to
me
a
couple
years
ago
when
she
gonna
go
liked
and
said:
there's
gonna
be
one
of
my
priorities
and
she
stuck
to
it
and
stayed
with
it
and
understood,
working
collectively
with
the
administration
and
working
with
the
council
and
working
with
the
advocates
that
we
all
decided.
How
do
we
make
this
work
at
the
end
of
the
day?
I
think
the
product
that's
here
today
is
better
than
the
product
I
had
in
the
beginning
and
better
than
the
product
she
had
in
the
beginning.
C
Good
afternoon
good
afternoon,
so
I
want
to
build
on
this
notion
of
collaboration.
The
mayor
is
absolutely
right
that
it
takes
all
of
us.
Collaborating
and
I
want
to.
Thank
you,
mayor
for
your
leadership,
for
your
partnership
for
your
collaboration
in
this
work
together.
The
mayor
and
the
council
are
taking
a
very
important
step
forward,
so
I
want
to
acknowledge
that.
Thank
you,
sir
I
want
it.
I
want
to
acknowledge
my
colleagues
in
the
room
we
are
joined
by
councilor,
asabi
George
and
councillor
Matt
O'malley.
Thank
you
so
much
for
your
support
for
your
partnership.
C
I
want
to
thank
all
of
my
colleagues
on
the
council.
Many
folks
are
busy
and
can't
be
here,
but
thank
you
for
your
input.
Thank
you
for
your
ideas,
your
suggestions,
your
questions,
your
pushback.
Whatever
it
was
that
you
did
to
participate
in
this
process,
it
meant
a
lot.
I
also
want
to
acknowledge
the
chair
of
the
committee.
Michael
Flaherty
he's
not
here,
but
I
want
to
acknowledge
him
as
well.
Someone
who
was
not
here
who
I
I
want
to
lift
up
is
a
former
colleague
my
sister
and
service.
Are
you
Anna
Presley?
She?
C
Yes,
give
it
up
for
our
Jana
Presley.
While
she
was
on
this
body,
the
Boston
City
Council.
She
was
clear
and
unapologetic
about
her
fight
for
equity
and
this
harvest.
I'm
gonna
call
this
a
harvest
that
we
are
reaping
now
are
from
the
seeds
that
she
planted
and
no
pun
intended
with
harvest
and
seeds,
but
so
Thank
You
congresswoman
Presley,
my
own
staff,
my
incredible
staff,
who
are
all
here,
my
chief
of
staff,
is
here:
where
are
you
son?
Well?
Where
are
you
all
of
my
staff
that
are
here?
C
C
Who
is
my
former
policy
and
communications
director
Noah
was
my
campaign
manager
in
2017.
He
was
on
my
team
as
all
the
way
up
until
July
of
this
year
when
he
decided
he
wanted
to
go
to
grad
school,
go
figure,
I,
don't
know
but
Noah.
Thank
you
so
much
for
your
leadership
and
your
hard
work,
bringing
voices
together
and
getting
us
to
this
point.
I
really
appreciate
you.
Chalene
title
is
with
us
today
and
so
I
want
to
hi.
Please
stand
up.
Please
stand
up
julene
title
she
has.
C
C
So
much
for
your
work
and
I
have
to
thank
the
many
advocates
and
activists
and
entrepreneurs
who
are
all
in
this
space
and
while
they
are
trying
to
open
up
shops
and
they're
spending
their
time
and
their
resources
and
their
money
trying
to
do
that,
they
still
gave
time
and
attention
to
this,
and
this
is
so
important
that
we
are
here
today
and
I
want
to
acknowledge.
There
are
groups
like
Eon
that
is
represented
here,
they're,
our
groups,
like
MRCC
I'm,
not
sure.
If
they're
here
we've
got
Baek
ma
in
the
house.
C
C
So
I
really
appreciate
the
work
that
you
guys
do,
while
I'm
thanking
people
I
would
be
remiss
if
I
didn't
mention
my
good
friend
and
colleague,
and
state
government,
Russel
Holmes,
give
it
up
for
rep,
Russell,
Hantz
who's
been
who's,
been
a
strong
advocate
and
supporter
of
this
understanding.
What
this
means,
particularly
for
communities
of
color
and
black
and
Latin
X
community,
and
how
we
have
been
criminalized
and
targeted.
C
So
thank
you
for
lifting
that,
up
and
and
speaking
of
that,
the
criminalization
of
black
and
brown
people
and
and
those
of
us
who
are
tackling
that
issue
and
trying
to
dismantle,
as
you
acknowledge
mayor,
the
the
the
pipeline
to
prison.
Certainly
our
esteemed
wonderful
amazing,
Suffolk,
County,
District
Attorney.
Thank
you
so
much
for
being
here.
C
But
also
thank
you
because,
as
the
mayor
has
already
said,
this
is
an
important
step
when
it
comes
to
economic
development,
and
there
are
a
lot
of
other
initiatives
that
the
city
is
working
on
in
that
space.
But
we
also
have
to
do
everything
that
we
can
to
dismantle
this,
this
pipeline
to
prison
that
continues
to
target
and
criminalize
black
and
brown
people,
particularly
our
young
people,
and
it
takes
all
of
us
working
together
on
the
economic
side
on
the
criminal
justice
side,
to
really
make
a
difference.
So
thank
you
for
being
here.
C
So,
while
we
all
know
that
Massachusetts
was
not
the
first
state
to
legalize
in
our
country,
it
was
the
first
state
to
mandate,
equity,
yes
and,
as
I
have
stated
from
the
beginning
of
this
process.
A
year
ago,
when
we
had
our
first
hearing,
it
is
so
important
to
make
sure
that
communities
that
have
been
locked
up
are
not
locked
out
of
this
economic
opportunity
to
build
wealth
and
their
communities,
but
also
to
break
the
cycle
of
generational
poverty
and
with
both
the
mayor
and
the
council,
emphasizing
the
importance
of
equity.
C
That
is
what
we're
doing
today,
so
thank
you.
We
are
creating
a
process
that
promotes
equity
clarity,
transparency
and
accountability,
and
one
that
prioritizes
small
local
companies
with
diverse
ownership
from
communities
disproportionately
impacted
by
the
war
on
drugs.
What
we
know
from
this
ordinance
is
that
half
the
licenses
in
Boston-
and
we
know
we're
going
to
have
a
minimum
of
52
with
this
ordinance,
half
of
them
will
be
for
equity
applicants
through
the
equity
program.
C
C
C
He
so
far
has
been
very
open
to
hearing
the
ideas
that
folks
have
when
it
comes
to
this
board
and
I
know
that
he
is
too
committed
to
equity
and
getting
the
right
people
on
this
board
so
that
we
can
move
forward
in
this
process.
So
thank
you
again
for
that.
Throughout
this
entire
process,
it
was
very
clear
that
we
could
not
afford
to
be
stewards
of
the
status
quo.
Instead,
Boston
is
leading
the
way
in
our
efforts
to
be
intentional
in
creating
an
inclusive
economy.
C
By
putting
in
place
a
process
that
prioritizes
equity
and
offers
the
clarity,
transparency
and
accountability
that
both
aspiring
entrepreneurs
and
the
residents
of
our
city
deserve
and
with
this
ordinance
and
the
work
that
follows
because
we're
not
going
to
solve
400
years
of
oppression
with
one
ordinance
right
all
right.
So
with
this
ordinance
and
the
work
that
follows,
we
can
ensure
that
the
cannabis
industry
will
be
inclusive
for
those
who
are
harmed
by
prohibition
of
marijuana,
and
we
can
begin
to
repair
the
harms
and
right
the
wrongs
that
have
been
inflicted
by
mass
incarceration.
C
Finally,
with
this
ordinance-
and
this
is-
this-
is
just
one
step
as
I
want
to
make
clear
that
we
have
to
take
to
ensure
equity,
but
we
are
taking
a
major
step
and
so
I
look
forward
to
continuing
to
work
with
my
colleagues
on
the
council.
I
look
forward
to
working
with
the
mayor
and
his
team
and
I
want
to
acknowledge.
There
are
people
on
his
team
who
are
part
of
this
process
and
very
helpful.
C
So
I
want
to
acknowledge
them
as
well,
but
again
I
want
to
come
back
and
ground
us
with
the
advocates
and
the
entrepreneurs
who
were
in
this
space
who
everyday
are
spending
tens
of
thousands
of
dollars
trying
to
enter
in
this
space
and
not
just
again
for
themselves
but
are
trying
to
create
a
pathway
for
all
of
us
to
win
in
this
and
I
believe
that
we
can
so
I
encourage
us
to
continue
to
work
together.
There's
much
more
work
to
do
again.