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U.S. NEWS Friday 7 February 2020

Green tea party? State licenses Boston's 1st marijuana shop

By PHILIP MARCELO about a month in the city's more diverse communities.
BOSTON (AP) — Boston's first diverse Dorchester neigh- Massachusetts currently
retail pot shop and Mas- borhood. has more than 30 retail
sachusetts' first minority- "It's been a long, chal- marijuana locations, but
owned marijuana business lenging journey, but it's all only one is in Greater Bos-
was approved Thursday, been worth it," he said af- ton: New England Treat-
more than a year after the ter the vote. "We're excited ment Access, in the afflu-
first shops opened else- to be where we are right ent suburb of Brookline.
where in the state. now, but we'd also like to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh,
The state's Cannabis Con- see more opportunities for who has faced criticism
trol Commission on Thurs- people like us so that its not for his city's slow rollout of
day voted to give final such a challenging road for pot shops, also signed into
license approval to Pure people that come after us." law last year an ordinance
Oasis, a pot shop proposed Black and Latino groups overhauling the local pro-
by two local black entre- have voiced their frustra- cess for vetting marijuana
preneurs. tion for months at the slow Entrepreneurs Kevin Hart, of Randolph, Mass., left, and Kobie Ev- businesses.
The approval comes more pace of approvals for mi- ans, of Boston, right, speak to reporters after attending a meet- Among other things, the
ing of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, Thurs-
than three years after vot- nority-owned businesses, day, Feb. 6, 2020, in Worcester, Mass. new law creates the state's
ers approved the nation's both in Massachusetts and Associated Press first equity fund aimed at
first marijuana law aimed at nationwide. assisting minority entrepre-
encouraging black, Latinos Pure Oasis joins 118 mari- certified under the state's setts' marijuana workforce neurs hoping to break into
and other people harmed juana companies that equity programs for minor- is white, while Black and the industry.
by the war on drugs to par- have earned a final state ity and disadvantaged Latino people represent Walsh tweeted Thursday
ticipate in the new industry. license following Thursday's marijuana businesses, ac- less than 12%, according to that he was proud that Bos-
Commission Chairman Ste- meeting, which included cording to the commission. statistics released Thursday ton would be home to the
ven Hoffman called the votes on dozens of other Marijuana activists in Mas- by the commission. state's first "Economic Em-
vote "an important mile- applicants. sachusetts and elsewhere Kevin Hart, the other co- powerment Candidate,"
stone" and wished the More than 300 others have have also voiced concern owner of Pure Oasis, be- and said his administration
company luck. also secured conditional about the low number of lieves the local industry's will "continue to prioritize
Kobie Evans, a co-owner approvals, but only 11 of minorities working in the in- demographics will improve equity, diversity and lo-
of Pure Oasis, said the shop those are companies like dustry at large. as more pot businesses are cal ownership in this new
hopes to open its doors in Pure Oasis that have been Nearly 75% of Massachu- opened in Greater Boston's industry."q