Massachusetts voters approved a ballot initiative to legalize cannabis believing – based on the actual text of the ballot question – that equity would be at the forefront.  Legalization was supposed to ensure that people who were unfairly impacted by cannabis laws would have an opportunity to succeed in this new industry. Implementation has not lived up to these promises. Only 8% of businesses are owned by social equity participants and the industry remains dominated by former medical marijuana companies, which were not subject to any equity goals.

As Auditor, I will report on the actions of the Cannabis Control Commission and other state agencies to make sure they are doing everything possible to encourage diversity and equity in the industry. Additionally, I will monitor licenses to ensure that investors who partner with social equity applicants are actually living up to the equity components on their license application.

I will also report on the disparity between where cannabis revenue was intended to go and how it has actually been spent. State government gets 17% of revenue in taxes. Among other things, the money is intended to be spent on education, substance addiction prevention programs, and supporting social equity in cannabis. Currently, it is difficult to track how that revenue has actually been spent and voters deserve to know whether the legislature is keeping its promises about cannabis revenue.