Should illegal marijuana sellers be taxed in Massachusetts? CCC, state legislators eyeing a task force that would look toward taxation over criminal penalties

Concerns about the illegal marijuana market in Massachusetts became even more heightened last year as people here in the state, and across the country, started to fall ill from vaping.

For Commissioner Britte McBride of the state Cannabis Control Commission, the vaping crisis became a “fairly significant watershed moment” that reinforced the need for multiple state agencies to collaborate on an effort to target the illicit marijuana market and the ability to address a public health crisis.

“I think the vape crisis really drove home the need for there to be an ability to respond in perhaps a broader way and provide a mechanism to collaborate with other agencies in ensuring that the public is kept safe,” McBride said in an interview.

One option, as recommended in a recent report by the CCC and the state Attorney Genera’s office, is establishing a multi-agency illicit marijuana task force. That task force would coordinate efforts between state agencies like the CCC, Massachusetts State Police, Department of Public Health, Department of Revenue and others. [Read more at MassLive]