The Massachusetts cannabis industry has continued to grow in recent years, and social equity advocates want to rein in state lawmakers who want to let regulators issue even more business permits. The goal is to protect the market share of small cannabis companies that have yet to really find their footing.

As of March, the state had 393 active marijuana retail shops, up from 356 in April 2024, and another 211 retail permits in the pipeline for a possible total of 606 dispensaries statewide, according to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. There were 144 growers and 119 manufacturers, with 291 possible new cultivators and 230 new manufacturers still waiting for final approval to join the market.

All of that means the active marijuana market in Massachusetts is poised to more than double, from 725 operational businesses as of March to as many as 1,842 companies, according to state figures.

Lawmakers also have eight bills to consider during a hearing on Wednesday before the legislature’s Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy, which social equity champions fear may result in flooding the market and a drop in valuations for their member companies.

As a result, Equitable Opportunities Now and the Massachusetts Cannabis Equity Council have called on supporters to sign a letter to lawmakers that asks them to reject the bills, which the organizations assert are the vehicle of “large, politically connected operators” that want to “dismantle” the state’s marijuana license caps so they can dominate the market.

“These profitable multistate operators are spending heavily to increase their market share – at the expense of social equity businesses,” the letter asserts.

Shanel Lindsay, the founder of Equitable Opportunities Now, said that if MSO interests behind the bills succeed, then “small businesses will be forced out” of Massachusetts, leaving consumers “buying mediocre products from a few national chains.”

The measures up for consideration on Wednesday that the groups are opposing include:

• H. 149, Act Related to Cannabis Retail Licenses
• H. 158, Act for Cannabis Market Modernization
• H. 160, Act to Promote Equity Joint Venture Partnerships
• H. 171, Act to Modernize the Cannabis Regulatory Environment
• H. 174, Act Relative to Raising the Standalone Cap for Marijuana Establishments
• S. 75, Act to Modernize the Cannabis Regulatory Environment
• S. 78, Act Relative to Economic Opportunities in the Cannabis Industry
• S. 99, Act for Cannabis Market Modernization

Advocates said the bills, collectively, would “roll back license limits” and favor big businesses over mom-and-pop operators, according to a press release.

By contrast, the two organizations are throwing their support behind 11 measures they say would “strengthen the entire industry,” including:

• H. 183, Act to Increase the Cannabis Purchase and Possession Limits
• H. 184, Act Delivering a Fair Share of Cannabis Revenue to Communities Harmed by the War on Drugs
• H. 145, Act Expanding Access to Legal, Regulated Cannabis Delivery
• S. 80, Act to Create Efficiences in the Cannabis Employment Process
• S. 83, Act to Modernize Massachusetts Medical Marijuana Program
• S. 84, Act to Create Cannabis Career Pathways for Justice-Involved Individuals
• S. 85, Act Enabling Private Donations to the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund
• S. 86, Act to Support Cannabis Equity Businesses
• S. 87, Act Delivering a Fair Share of Cannabis Revenue to Communities Harmed by the War on Drugs
• S. 88, Act Protecting Cannabis Equity Businesses by Enforcing Ownership Limits
• S. 89, Act Expanding Access to Legal, Regulated Cannabis Delivery