SPRINGFIELD — As the cannabis industry in Massachusetts matures, entrepreneurs and other people in business still have plenty of questions, from how to start a marijuana business to how to hire and manage a workforce in the age of the drug’s legal, recreational use.
The Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce plans to answer those questions with a half-day seminar, “The Buzz About Cannabis: Marijuana in the Marketplace and the Workplace,” on Jan. 28.
“I just think it’s an important topic,” said Nancy Creed, the chamber’s president. “No pun intended, it’s a budding industry.”
Creed said she’s unaware of any other chamber in the state that’s hosted a similar forum, although the Worcester Business Journal has a cannabis conference set for Jan. 15 and Boston’s Hynes Convention Center hosted the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition back in October.
Some people and many communities are reluctant to embrace the marijuana industry, Creed said — despite Massachusetts voters approving legalization in November 2016, and with recreational shops in the state now open for over a year.
“Let’s see if we can take away some of the stigma from what can be a true economic engine,” Creed said. “Let’s take our personal opinion out of it. The voters spoke.”
But marijuana is not federally legal, Creed said. That means businesses deal with difficulties in banking, cannot take credit cards and face other restrictions.
Since the first two marijuana retailers opened in November 2018, 33 shops have opened statewide.
But the expansion of legal marijuana in Massachusetts is not going smoothly, with some potential licensees complaining bitterly about delays. One disrupted a Cannabis Control Commission meeting earlier this month.
During the first year, Massachusetts marijuana licensees generated $393.7 million in gross sales, according to the Cannabis Control Commission.
Now, Creed said, “What I’m hearing a lot is from people interested in opening cannabis cafes.”
The state’s Cannabis Control Commission has backed a pilot program for social consumption sites — cafes where people could congregate and use cannabis products. But none are open yet.
The opening keynote speaker at the chamber’s event will be Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commissioner Kay Doyle. One of five commissioners, she will speak on “The Landscape of Cannabis in Massachusetts.”
Following her talk will be two concurrent breakout sessions: “Building a Cannabis Business” and “Cannabis in the Workplace.”
Attorney Scott W. Foster, partner at the Springfield law firm Bulkley Richardson, and Tina Sbrega, president and CEO of GFA Federal Credit Union, will talk about building a cannabis business.
Foster is chair of the law firm’s business and finance practice, and is responsible for the recent launch of practice areas including cannabis, cyberscecurity and craft breweries.
GFA Federal Credit Union created a subsidiary in 2018 to bring compliant banking services to Massachusetts and New Hampshire cannabis operators. Federal rules bar FDIC-regulated banks from doing business in the marijuana industry.
The “Cannabis in the Workplace” session will focus on recruitment, retention and employment in the new landscape of legalized marijuana in Massachusetts. Joanne Berwald, vice president of human resources at Mestek in Westfield; Attorney Eric Flores from Skoler Abbott; and Pam Thornton, director of strategic human resource services for the Employers Association of the NorthEast, will present the session.
Developing policies and procedures for marijuana use — especially for those with medical cards — is challenging, Creed said. That’s especially true for small companies that don’t have their own human resources departments capable of researching the issue.
“Employers don’t understand what they can or cannot do,” she said. “They don’t know what questions they can and cannot ask.”
Creed said she expects about 150 attendees at the event, which begins at 12:30 p.m. at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place. The program runs until a networking event at 4:30 p.m.
Early bird registration is $60 until January 14, 2020. Registration is $75 after January 14. Online registration is available at springfieldregionalchamber.com.
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