As retail pot shops in Massachusetts prepare to start selling next July, eager consumers may be disappointed to find empty shelves when they wander into their local cannabis outlet. Due to the lack of growers in the New England region, industry experts believe that stores will likely run out of marijuana almost immediately after opening.
According to Peter Bernard, the president of the Massachusetts Grower Advocacy Council, recreational pot shops will sell out of cannabis less than a week. He also predicts that newly opened retail outlets may not have sufficient supply until sometime around the first half of 2019. This will give existing medical marijuana dispensaries a major advantage over new competition, as they already have grow facilities in place.
This foreboding future is eerily similar to the problems that Nevada recently faced due to distribution issues. After giving the green light to retail pot shops earlier in this summer, the market faced a volatile shortage that pushed state officials to issue a “statement of emergency” and rework the law. However, in the case of Massachusetts, the lack of product will stem from lack of cultivation rather than…