Pot buyers face privacy issues
Stores downplay concerns about required ID scanning
With the Bay State’s first two marijuana stores slated to open for the first time this week, consumers can expect long lines, tight controls and to have to show valid government IDs — a requirement that has some privacy experts warning of risk of exposure. The Cannabis Control Commission announced it was allowing Cultivate Holdings, LLC, in Leicester and New England Treatment Access, LLC, in Northampton to start selling marijuana on Tuesday. Once at the store, people will have to show a government-issued ID. NETA uses a scanner similar to those used at clubs and bars to make sure the IDs are real, said Amanda Rositano, director of compliance for NETA. At least one privacy expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, however, is warning that there is a potential for people’s information to be kept once their IDs are scanned. “The key question a privacy-conscious customer needs to ask is whether these systems keep records — for instance to enforce individual dispensing limits — and how often they’re purged,” said R. David Edelman, a cybersecurity researcher at MIT. “The makers of ID-verification systems will want to implement new features, and those features often require keeping data in order to analyze it.” “The odds are many do maintain some form of records, and if you’re concerned about keeping your habits private, these systems create some risk. With digital records, the default is often indefinite retention, and the potential for exposure is real,” he said. “Until we have consistency between federal and state laws on these issues, it’s an open question as to whether those records might create problems for Massachusetts residents down the line. Could federal officials seek records from individual dispensaries, for instance as part of a background investigation? Possibly.” But Rositano insists no customer information will be retained. The information is erased once the card goes through, she told the Herald. “Once it scans the next ID, that information has been deleted,” Rositano told the Herald. “It is top-of-theline technology. We don’t maintain information from our adult-use clients.” NETA’s Kim Napoli, director of diversity programs, said this week they will have enough product on hand to meet the demand. Large crowds are expected given Massachusetts will be the first state in the Eastern U.S. to open recreational pot sales. Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, California and Nevada already allow recreational marijuana. Napoli says the shop already has nearly 200 products ready for what they expect to be a “significant” turnout. Napoli said medical marijuana patients will remain the priority with 35 percent of the product reserved for patients. Though people can now buy pot legally, people still can’t smoke in public. “You can expect a lot of good product, a good selection,” Napoli said. The Northampton store plans to open for recreational sales at 8 a.m. Tuesday. Cultivate Holdings in Leicester said it will open its doors at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Both stores went through an extensive background check. Both companies already operate medical marijuana dispensaries and have promised to prioritize those patients. Store sales are limited to no more than one ounce of marijuana or five grams of marijuana concentrate.