Taunton subcommittee hears pitches from three cannabis retailers; reconvenes after community outreach

Taunton’s Special Committee on Marijuana met to hear presentations from three applicants competing for up to two host community agreement waivers for retail cannabis licenses. Chair Councilor Sanders explained the Local Licensing Authority process and said the committee will submit recommendations to the full municipal council only after applicants complete required community outreach and the committee finalizes objective scoring sheets.

Why it matters: The committee can recommend up to two applicants; state and municipal rules give extra points to social equity applicants. Committee members said they would withhold public disclosure of individual scoring until the full process — including community outreach meetings — is complete.

Cape Highway Canna LLC, proposed for 225 Cape Highway, presented a veteran- and minority-owned, locally based retail model and described a site in a highway business district more than three miles from Taunton’s nearest retailer. The applicants described security protocols including TokenWorks ID verification, 24/7 monitored surveillance with long retention, a reinforced vault for product…