Before you go asking your wife how she intends to pay me my cut, I think she might actually have to give the money back.

There seems to be some confusion.

In November 2016, Littleton residents voted YES to legalize cannabis. Given the statutory calculus where seven packies get you two cannabis shops, Littleton’s Select Board would be required to award two recreational cannabis licenses.

What Littleton Apothecary, LLC has from the town (and the commonwealth) is a license, i.e., permission to sell recreational cannabis.

This permission—from both Littleton’s Select Board and the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC)—is permission to operate a business that will generate tax revenue for the town and for the commonwealth.

It isn’t salable or purchasable.

For had Littleton given potential applicants any indication that the license was more than simply permission—that, let’s say, you could sell it down the road for $800,000.00 or $1,000,000.00, or even $2,000,000.00—Littleton would have been inundated with applications.

But Littleton hadn’t said, “Hey world, we’re awarding two licenses that we want to go to local people. In the event that you get an HCA from us and a provisional license from the CCC and (for whatever reason) decide not to move forward with the business, you can go ahead and sell the business for a boatload of cash even if you haven’t done anything for Littleton (specifically, collecting excise tax on cannabis sales) and, in fact, have, by your non-operation, caused the town to miss out on all that excise tax. But we’re cool. The money’s yours.”

Littleton didn’t say that.

But you don’t have to take my word for it.

You know who might be able to confirm all this?—specifically, that a license to sell cannabis in town is permission and is not (and was never intended to be treated as) an asset?

Chuck.

He’s been the “go-to” guy (from the select board) for all cannabis-town-related matters since the start. From the time cannabis first put down roots here in town, Chuck’s been involved.

Lots of good historical knowledge there for sure.

TTYS,

Jkb