Worcester Business Journal

6 Worcester Business Journal | April 15, 2024 | wbjournal.com "You see a lot of organizations out there that focus on a specific license type. What we want to do is to be a platform where everyone can come together and focus on the big picture issues that everyone can agree upon." e launch of this new coalition comes as multiple Central Massachusetts cannabis firms are facing lawsuits over unpaid bills, as declining prices and high costs are squeezing businesses in the industry. Revolutionary Clinics in Fitch- burg is facing a $280,000 lawsuit over unpaid rent at its Cambridge dispensary. Greatest Hits, a Dudley-based operator of dispensaries, has been sued for alleged unpaid invoices relating to products it purchased on the wholesale market from a Chelsea-based cultivator. Discern'd Cannabis Purveyors in Graon is facing a lawsuit over alleged unpaid debt, and Cresco Labs, a Chicago-based cannabis company with a location in Leicester, is suing a cannabis company with locations in Wellfleet and Attleboro for an alleged lack of payment. A proposed cannabis grower in Clin- ton was also facing a lawsuit over alleged unpaid invoices for the installation of an HVAC system, but it has since settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount. One policy Dominguez wants to tackle is purchase limits. Currently, adult use consumers in Massachusetts are limited to purchasing one ounce per day from a particular dispensary, less than states like Maine and Michigan, which allow customers to purchase two and a half ounces. Another policy MCC would like to address is the process of registering em- ployees with the Massachusetts Canna- bis Control Commission. Businesses must submit an agent reg- istration application for each license they hold. is means an employee working at multiple locations, or a single facility that holds multiple license types, sometimes has to carry a bundle of agent registration cards with them while working. e agent registration is tied to the business, meaning an employee who leaves one cannabis company to join an- other must be re-registered. ese costs add up for businesses; adult-use agent registrations cost $115 a year, while medical agents registrations cost $500. An employee who works at a co-located medical and adult-use dispensary needs both registrations. All this leads to situations where busi- nesses are spending thousands of dollars a year on this process, said Dominguez. "We're thinking about ways we can change that system to be one agent to one badge and having that badge be able to be taken to different companies," he said. MCC's membership base is broad, said Dominguez. "We represent everybody across the commonwealth, big and small. We have members that are independent cultiva- tors, single retailers, all the way up to vertically-integrated operators," he said, referencing companies that grow, manu- facture and sell their own products. Long-time director of stART on the Street to step down stART on the Street Co-Founder Tina Zlody will step down from her position as director of the Worcester art festival aer 19 years and be replaced by the co-founders of the nonprofit Creative Hub Worcester. "Tina has been an absolutely invalu- able, instrumental director and leader of this festival. is festival would not be where it is without her leadership and her guidance," said Laura Marotta, co-founder of Creative Hub Worcester, . stART on the Street, a program of Creative Hub Worcester, is a free one- day arts, music, and culture festival held on the third Sunday of September each year. e festival, a brainchild of an independent group of local artists and art lovers, hosts roughly 275 artists and craers each year and hit a high of 300 in 2013, according to a March 25 press release from Creative Hub Worcester. e artist lineup consists of live bands, street performers, comedians, acrobat- ics, demonstrations, and dancers, as well as attractions and activities for children and families. Initially held on Main Street in Worcester, the festival moved to Park Avenue in 2006, where it has remained ever since. Zlody co-founded the street festival in 2002. ough she's stepping down from her role as director, Zlody will remain involved with the festival, shiing her focus to the event's administrative work. "I am an organizational nerd at heart, so moving from hands-on people man- agement and regular meetings, to per- mitting, insurance, and other tasks will allow the festival to continue its work seamlessly, and is the right fit for me at this time," Zlody said in the release. Continuing their leadership responsi- bilities for the festival will be Stacy Lord, co-founder of Creative Hub Worcester who has co-directed the festival with Zlody since its launch, and Marotta, who joined as co-director in 2022. "I leave the day-to-day running and leadership of stART on the Street to two hugely capable women who have dedi- cated themselves not only to the festival, but to the arts and culture in Worcester," Zlody said. Worcester Business Journal WBJ FORUM Central MA Life Sciences FORUM Central MA Life Sciences REPORT Register Today! www.wbjournal.com/lifescienceforum MAY 15, 2024 Courtyard by Marriot 75 Felton St., Marlborough 7:30 - 11:30AM • Cost: $55 Pre-registration required. MEDIA PARTNER The Central MA Life Sciences Forum will bring together industry, community and government leaders, as well as developers and investors for a conversation about the future of the life sciences and the challenges, as well as the long-term opportunities for expansion in our region. Secretary Yvonne Hao Massachusetts Executive Office of Economic Development KEYNOTE SPEAKER: SUPPORTING SPONSORS CORPORATE SPONSOR CONSIGLI MASSACHUSETTS LIFE SCIENCES CENTER PLEASE JOIN US! Continued from previous page

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