A small Cannabis business based in Taunton, Massachusetts had the distinction of making the state’s first-ever recreational marijuana delivery in early June.
Freshly Baked was awarded the first adult-use delivery license by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC). And while the inaugural delivery was a test run sent to the business’s co-owner, Freshly Baked received approval to begin delivering pot products to the public within a 15 mile radius of Taunton.
The CCC began accepting applications for courier delivery licenses last year. Businesses granted a courier license are permitted to partner with existing pot producers and charge a fee for delivering those products.
However, earlier this year the CCC introduced a second delivery license type that allows businesses to purchase pot products wholesale and warehouse an inventory that can be sold and delivered.
Both delivery license types were created in an effort to encourage inclusion in the legal Cannabis industry and the licenses are only available to qualified social equity applicants for the first three years of the program.
The second license type angered some established Cannabis retailers and a group of dispensary owners brought a lawsuit against the CCC. However, the suit faced backlash as it was viewed as an attack on equity, and was quickly dropped.
The CCC began accepting applications for the second license type on May 28.
Freshly Baked received a courier delivery license, meaning it must partner with pot producers to deliver Cannabis. Co-owner Philip Smith was accepted into the state’s social equity program in 2019. He must retain 51 percent ownership of the company for Freshly Baked to qualify for the delivery license.
The CCC is currently processing seven additional courier licenses, which will expand delivery options across the state.