Mass. cannabis bill adds portal for anonymous tips
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Massachusetts workers may finally get an avenue to report illegal activity at licensed cannabis businesses.
Why it matters: The latest cannabis reform bill would address some concerns workers have raised since the death of a western Massachusetts grow facility employee in 2022.
The latest: The House passed the cannabis reform bill Wednesday, 155-0, with two lawmakers abstaining.
- The Senate plans to vote on the measure Thursday.
State of play: The bill would direct the Cannabis Control Commission to set up an online portal where workers can submit complaints, including anonymously.
- The bill wouldn't require more stringent rules on workplace safety but instead would make the commission review its regulations on safety, air quality, first responder access and other standards by July 2027.
- The commission doesn't currently test for air quality or air particulates, for example, commissioner Kim Roy said Thursday.
What they're saying: Roy applauded the move to create a way to accept anonymous submissions, noting that the agency doesn't have the authority to bestow whistleblower protections itself.
- "I think part of the reason folks have been reluctant to come forward is because there is no guarantee of anonymity," she told Axios.
Yes, but: Workplace safety advocates said lawmakers should impose stronger workplace safety requirements.
- Tatiana Sofia Begault, executive director of the Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety & Health, said the bill is a "first step in the right direction."
- She said it should include enforceable training, protections for workers exposed to harmful materials, health and risk analysis, and safeguards for workers seeking to unionize or report hazards.
- "I think we're at an inflection period now where legalized cannabis has been established, and now we have to look really hard on what we can do to keep our workers safe," Roy said.
- The commission has room to make improvements in the future, she added, from testing air quality to analyzing the effects of cannabis dust.
What's next: The Senate is all but guaranteed to approve the cannabis bill, sending it to Gov. Maura Healey's office.
- She would have 10 business days to act on it.
What we're watching: The commission would have to set up the portal in a "timely manner," though the proposal doesn't give regulators a deadline.