Martha’s Vineyard Is About To Run Out Of Cannabis

Martha’s Vineyard is on the brink of a marijuana shortage, prompting a lawsuit and urgent actions from state regulators. An 81-year-old resident recently discovered this when she drove to the Island Time dispensary for her usual purchase, only to find it closed after selling out of all its products. Owner Geoff Rose had to shut down three weeks earlier, and the island’s only other dispensary is expected to run out of supplies by September.
The root of the problem lies in the island's location. While Massachusetts legalized marijuana over seven years ago, the state’s Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) maintains that transporting pot to the island via boat or plane could violate federal laws, despite arguments that some routes stay within state waters.
This impasse led Rose to file a lawsuit against the CCC last month. The commission has now prioritized finding a solution, with three commissioners visiting the island to hear directly from affected residents. The tension between state and federal regulations has been a recurring issue nationwide. California permits cannabis transport to Catalina Island, and Hawaii amended its laws last year to allow medical marijuana transport between islands. Additionally, the Justice Department recently moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous drug, although it remains illegal for recreational use.
Initially, sellers on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket circumvented the transport issue by growing and testing their own marijuana. However, Fine Fettle, the island’s sole commercial grower and operator of its other dispensary, informed Rose last year that it would cease operations once its current supplies were depleted.
Benjamin Zachs, who oversees Fine Fettle’s Massachusetts operations, explained that the company originally saw the transport restriction as a business advantage. “Candidly, when it started, we thought this was a good thing for business,” Zachs said. “A captured market.” However, cheaper and more varied options on the mainland, combined with rising costs of island testing, rendered the operation uneconomical.
For residents, traveling to the mainland for marijuana is impractical. There’s no dispensary in Woods Hole, where the ferry lands, forcing them to take an Uber or bring a car, which is in high demand during summer. Medical users like Sally Rizzo, who relies on marijuana for back pain and insomnia, are particularly concerned. “The nice thing about getting it at a dispensary is that you can tell them specifically what you’re looking for, and know the milligrams, and know the potency, and what’s in it,” Rizzo said.
Rose, who has lived on Martha’s Vineyard for over 20 years, is now facing the potential closure of his business. “I’m on the verge of going out of business,” he said. Rose’s lawsuit argues against the CCC’s “arbitrary, unreasonable, and inconsistent policy” on transporting marijuana over state waters. The CCC has since engaged in settlement discussions to resolve the issue.
“Obviously, this is a super priority for us, because we don’t want to see the collapse of an industry on the islands,” said commissioner Kimberly Roy. Roy emphasized the need to adapt to evolving federal regulations and resolve the supply chain issue promptly.
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