wbjournal.com | June 13, 2022 | Worcester Business Journal 3
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Worcester Business Journal (ISSN#1063-6595) is published bi-weekly,
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Worcester Business Journal
WBJ
A division of:
I N T H I S I S S U E
W
hen I was in high
school and college, I
was something of an
anti-marijuana advo-
cate. I never attended
a rally or anything that intense, but among
my friends and family, I would oen
scold them against using cannabis: Illegal
means illegal, and we should have faith our
politicians and police had used the best
scientific evidence and had society's best
interest at heart when they declared mari-
juana to be on par with heroin. My friends'
arguments that cannabis produced a much
more mellow high without the hangover
of alcohol (which I regularly consumed
before I turned the legal age of 21) fell on
my deaf, self-righteous ears.
Now, two decades later, I realize they
were right, and I might not have been the
most pleasant person to be around. e
marijuana boogeyman isn't real. Since the
sale of cannabis became legal and widely
available in Massachusetts, I've been an
occasional user of edibles. My life hasn't
descended into madness, it hasn't been a
gateway to harsher drugs, and I haven't
delved into a life of crime to support my
use. e main side effects are that I giggle
a lot and make interesting food choices.
I think my wife might actually prefer my
personality when I'm high.
I haven't been the only one who has
come around on marijuana. Since 54% of
Massachusetts voters in 2016 approved
of recreational cannabis legalization in
a ballot initiative, the legal adult-use
industry has generated more than $3
billion in sales. e state Cannabis Control
Commission has approved more than 400
marijuana business licenses. When WBJ
first held its Business of Cannabis event
in 2019, the concept was novel and felt
somewhat illicit, even if it wasn't. is year,
that same event feels just like any other
industry-specific gathering, like the Manu-
facturing Excellence Summit & Awards or
the Health Care Forum.
In this edition, Staff Writer Katherine
Hamilton explores in her "Liing the can-
nabis ban" story on page 12 how attitudes
toward marijuana businesses have changed
in the past six years, particularly through
one dispensary's journey in Southbridge.
On page 14, Staff Writer Alexander
MacDougall examines in his "Marijuana
reform" story how the Massachusetts legisla-
ture is seeking to straighten out some of the
problems the industry has faced since the
regulatory framework was created in 2017,
especially trying to ensure social equity.
e industry is trying to right the
wrongs of the past while creating a vibrant
future. Marijuana is here to stay, and that's
a good thing.
– Brad Kane, editor
I've come around on cannabis
W
Editor, Brad Kane,
bkane@wbjournal.com
Senior Staff Writer,
Monica Benevides,
mbenevides@wbjournal.com
(Health care, diversity & inclusion)
Staff Writers
Timothy Doyle
tdoyle@wbjournal.com
(Real estate, higher education)
Alexander MacDougall
amacdougall@wbjournal.com
(Health care, diversity & inclusion)
Editorial Interns
Sadie Leite
sleite@wbjournal.com
Ellie Lester
elester@wbjournal.com
Contributors
Giselle Rivera-Flores, Ramon L.
Sandoval, Susan Shalhoub
Photographers
Matt Wright, Edd Cote
Research Director,
Stephanie Meagher,
smeagher@nebusinessmedia.com
Research Assistant, Heide Martin,
hmartin@nebusinessmedia.com
Production Director, Kira Beaudoin,
kbeaudoin@wbjournal.com
Art Director, Mitchell Hayes,
mhayes@wbjournal.com
Senior Accounts Manager
Christine Juetten,
cjuetten@wbjournal.com
Senior Special Accounts Manager
Mary Lynn Bosiak,
mlbosiak@wbjournal.com
Marketing & Events Manager
Kris Prosser, kprosser@wbjournal.com
COO, Mary Rogers,
mrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
Accounting Assistant, Rae Rogers,
rrogers@nebusinessmedia.com
Account Receivable Specialist,
Patty Harris,
pharris@nebusinessmedia.com
Human Resources, Jill Coran,
jcoran@nebusinessmedia.com
Director of Audience Development,
Valerie Clark,
vclark@nebusinessmedia.com
Operations Assistant,
Leah Allen,
lallen@nebusinessmedia.com
Publisher, CEO, Peter Stanton
pstanton@nebusinessmedia.com
Associate Publisher, Mark Murray
mmurray@wbjournal.com
President, Tom Curtin
tcurtin@hartfordbusinessjournal.com
TA B L E O F C O N T E N T S
8 The next Republican governor
WBJ sat down separately for a Q&A on
Central Massachusetts business with Geoff
Diehl and Chris Doughty, who will face
each other in the Sept. 6 Republican primary
for governor.
19 Understand the difference
between branding and marketing
Advice columnist Chris Ciunci says
companies need to spend more time building
their company's reputation among customers
and employees before any marketing
campaign can be successful.
4 Central Mass. In Brief
5 Worcester 300 trivia
14 Focus on the Business of Cannabis
17 The List: Marijuana businesses
18 Column: Outside the Box
19 Know How
20 Movers & Shakers
21 Opinion
22 Shop Talk: Community Healthlink
