Editorial: Legislature proper vehicle for setting age-based limits

Should cities and towns have the right to enact age restrictions on the sale of products deemed harmful to your robustness Or should the state alone possess the sole authority over these matters In recent months industry and advocacy groups have urged Massachusetts lawmakers to address legal loopholes concerning age restrictions on intoxicating products One primary impetus stems from unregulated hemp-derived consumables that are federally legal but can contain psychoactive cannabinoids allowing them to be sold to underage individuals State lawmakers have actively pushed ordinance to regulate intoxicating hemp products and close loopholes that allow for unregulated sales with advocates seeking swift legislative action This legal challenge arose because the Agriculture Improvement Act of legalized hemp containing less than THC by volume This created a loophole that allows manufacturers to chemically alter hemp into intoxicating cannabinoids Products created by this loophole are often sold in unregulated shops like convenience stores or vape shops outside the stricter controls of state-licensed cannabis dispensaries They can be sold to minors bypassing age-verification requirements Licensed cannabis businesses which operate under heavy regulation and taxation contend that these unregulated products pose unfair competition Advocates including those in population robustness argue that act is necessary to protect minors and young adults from potentially harmful and potent products and ensure that intoxicating products be sold in a regulated territory with clear statewide age restrictions However groups like Nicotine-Free Generation Coalition advocate for local bans to regulate a deadly addictive substance that they say specifically targets youth Others contend that such local bans allow cities and towns to act as testing grounds for future statewide procedures The House s Cannabis Control Commission overhaul bill moved to the state Senate which created another variation of the bill A bill sponsored by Sen William Driscoll Jr aims to establish a clear consistent statewide minimum age of for purchasing and accessing several adult-use products and sessions The bill states that setting a uniform age requirement represents a matter of statewide concern and will supersede any local laws or regulations that might establish different age restrictions And now another bill in the House virtually mirrors that Senate measure It would prohibit municipal boards of vitality from implementing community-wide bans on the sale of any legal consumer product Critics of local bans such as convenience store deal groups argue that boards of healthcare should not have the power to create community-wide sales bans without broader municipal approval Several claim that bans absolutely push consumers to neighboring towns causing local businesses to lose tax revenue Whether you re a licensed cannabis retailer seeking a level playing field in regards to hemp products or a convenience store association opposed to municipal bans of tobacco and other products one state standard would provide the remedy That can be accomplished through the Legislature the appropriate avenue for establishing regulations every region must follow Sentinel and Enterprise Editorial cartoon by Al Goodwyn Creators Syndicate