Boston City Council Passes Cannabis Equity Ordinance 12-1, Creating Local Board and $5 Million Fund

Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6058 · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Boston City Council passes landmark cannabis equity ordinance 12 to 1. The council voted Wednesday to adopt Docket 0315, creating the Boston Cannabis Equity Program, a $5 million Boston Equity Fund, and a one-to-one ratio of equity to non-equity cannabis licenses — the first such local framework in the Commonwealth. Lead sponsor Councilor Kim Janey, who introduced the measure in February, cited statewide recreational cannabis sales of roughly $364 million in the year since the first shops opened, noting that not one open store holds economic empowerment status and none are majority-owned by people of color.

"We need to make sure that communities that have been locked up are not locked out of the opportunity to build wealth," Janey said. Committee on Government Operations Chair Councilor Michael Flaherty read approximately 20 amendments into the record before recommending passage; Councilor Tim Garrison cast the lone dissenting vote, arguing the Cannabis Control Commission rather than a new city board should oversee equity regulation. Mayor Martin Walsh was expected to issue a companion executive order formally creating the Boston Cannabis Board in coming weeks.

In the full story:

• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report — 3,619 words

Source: the Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip6058 meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.