Martha’s Vineyard residents demand regulators take action before island runs out of weed: report

The island community has long relied on locally grown pot to avoid running afoul of laws that prohibit the commercial transportation of drugs across oceans, however the sole producer, Fine Fettle, has said it will cease operations once the current stock runs out. A lawsuit has been filed against the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, asking them to help amend the law to allow an exception for pot travelling to Martha's Vineyard.

According to ABC News, the suit was filed by Geoff Rose, an island resident who owns and operates Island Time dispensary in Tisbury, and Green Lady, a dispensary on nearby Nantucket. He told the outlet that he was forced to temporarily close due to lack of product, and that unless something changes, he's "on the verge of going out of business."

Rose noted in his suit that he had informed the commission last year that when Fine Fettle's supply ran out. When no action was taken, he risked his luck and shipped some marijuana in from the mainland. While the commission allowed him to keep it, they told him not to do it again. He slammed the commission's "arbitrary, unreasonable, and inconsistent policy against transport over state territorial waters."

The commission has responded to Rose's lawsuit by visiting the island to hear from residents to see what they have to say. Commissioner Kimberley Roy called it "a super priority."

As ABC News reports, a number of other states have moved to allow exceptions for island communities. In California, for example, the law expressly permits marijuana to be delivered to Catalina Island, while Hawaii has found a way to ensure the drug is available throughout the archipelago.