Massachusetts pot shops are a billion-dollar market, but cannabis industry still faces hurdles

BOSTON — While recreational marijuana sales have soared in 2021 as Massachusetts emerges from the pandemic, business complications and governmental actions have slowed the pace of the industry's growth, cannabis advocates say.

Massachusetts legalized marijuana in 2016, becoming the seventh state to do so, but only licensed sales in 2018.

“Right out of the gate, the Legislature delayed everything by six months to rewrite the initiatives,” said Jim Borghesani, the communications director of “Yes on 4” in 2016. Massachusetts was the only state to rewrite the law passed by voters on marijuana legalization.