Tito Jackson Pivots From City Hall To The Medical Marijuana C-Suite
Former Boston city councilor and mayoral candidate Tito Jackson promised to bring higher-paying jobs to the city during his failed 2017 campaign to be Boston’s next mayor. Thanks to his new executive position, he thinks he can do just that through legalized marijuana.
Jackson, a supporter of marijuana legalization, was announced Thursday as the new CEO of Boston-based medical marijuana company Verdant Medical Inc., the Boston Business Journal reports. The former politician claimed his dispensary employees would be given good benefits and paid at least $15 an hour, pairing with his support of the Fight for $15 campaign to raise the minimum wage. He also pledged to hire workers who were once in prison.
While Jackson and his former political opponent, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, sparred during the mayoral race, his new position is a fresh reminder of how several Massachusetts leaders are not as keen to see legalized marijuana sales go into effect in July. Walsh and Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker opposed legalization and campaigned against the 2016 ballot initiative that legalized marijuana sales within the state. Jackson has viewed legalization as a way to combat illegal sales and garner additional tax revenue.
Verdant hasn’t begun to sell medical marijuana, but it has provisional state approval to open a dispensary in Randolph.
