Marijuana Dispensaries Sue Mass. Governor for Classifying Shops as ‘Non-Essential’ Under COVID-19 Closure Orders

BOSTON –– Several plaintiffs have sued the Governor of Massachusetts, contending that his orders closing non-essential businesses as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic have caused irreparable damage to the adult-use cannabis industry and its customers.

Plaintiffs CommCan Inc., The Green Lady Dispensary Inc., Ascend Mass, LLC, MassGrow LLC, Slang Inc. (d/b/a Bloom Brothers), and Stephen Mandile filed the complaint on April 8 in the Massachusetts Superior Court for Suffolk County.

In it, the plaintiffs argue that Governor Charlie Baker’s Executive Orders shuttering non-essential businesses, including all adult-use marijuana establishments, has forced the closure of 43 licensed retail marijuana establishments …