Last night, Haverhill city councilors approved their version of a state-mandated policy that aims to get cannabis store licenses in the hands of business owners incarcerated due to the federal government’s so-called “War on Drugs” or otherwise negatively impacted by it. People who fall into this category do not automatically get permits and must still go through an application process.
Assistant City Solicitor Matthew D. Provencher informed councilors Haverhill previously opted in to cannabis delivery services, answering a question raised at a subcommittee meeting where the final policy was drafted, as WHAV reported. Brick-and-mortar businesses operating in Haverhill—there are currently four and none of them deliver—must renegotiate their licensing agreements with the city if they want to start.
Council Vice President Timothy J. Jordan protested that cities do not receive tax revenue from deliveries brought in from outside. The delivery businesses’ host communities do. “That’s not good business for us, so I think it’s something we should take a deeper dive into,” he said.
Councilor Melissa J. Lewandowski peppered Provencher with legal questions, some of which he said he would answer at a later meeting after confirming details. One was if, hypothetically, an owner of a Haverhill retailer could also hold a delivery license from a different community. If they then made deliveries using their Haverhill operation, they would avoid paying taxes to the city. Provencher explained that the state’s Cannabis Control Commission tries to prevent any single entity from holding two separate delivery and retail licenses to prevent just this situation.