SPRINGFIELD — The state Cannabis Control Commission heard pleas Tuesday to reduce red tape and fees for new businesses, expand opportunities for minorities and women, and reduce product costs.

The five-member commission conducted a listening session at Western New England University Blake Law Center’s Moot Court Room as it weighs potential revisions to current marijuana regulations. Approximately 60 people attended the session including marijuana industry advocates, business representatives, patients and other customers.

There were also attendees who spoke in favor of programs such as home delivery of marijuana products, and two people who urged the commission to expand education outreach to doctors and medical staff about medical marijuana in order to better understand patient needs.

One advocate said that the prohibition of discount programs in retail sales of marijuana "is a problem."

"It discourages consumer loyalty and it curtails our ability to support communities that may disproportionately benefit from access," one speaker said, listing veterans as an example.

"So we propose that we're allowed to set our own pricing, and extend discounts in compliance with the existing regulations for example, no free products," she said.

Eric Schwartz, co-founder of Farm Bug Co-op, a cultivator cooperative based in Somerville, said he is concerned there is not one cannabis cooperative licensed in Massachusetts.

“For that to change, this commission and the attorney general office needs to get tough on municipal governments,” Schwartz said. “I am calling upon this commission to immediately end your relationships with municipal associations that have only two goals during this process — Number one, to stall the roll-out and number two, to protect the people that are targeting our people.”

Schwartz also raised concerns that law enforcement still arrests cannabis farmers. He asked the state commission to not only oversee the emerging marijuana industry "but also to protect the people that are working so hard to emerge."

One woman suggested that registration, inspections and labeling could be simplified and integrated to ease the burden on businesses.

Peter Bernard, executive director of the Massachusetts Grower Advocacy Council, asked the commission to assist smaller businesses with and lower-tier businesses succeed in the market, due to the difficulty of competing with companies with “deeper pockets.”

He also said he loves the idea of home delivery and hopes the commission works to advance that program.

A woman from Holliston who said she was a medical marijuana patient, said there is a need to make marijuana more affordable to patients especially the disabled.

Another person, who said she was on regular medical use of marijuana, said she was told she could not have a medical procedure on her knee one day recently, because she had not stopped the use in the two days prior to the procedure. She said the doctor and staff did not seem to be properly educated on medical marijuana use.

James Jasper III of Springfield said he relocated to Massachusetts from Northwest, as an organic farmer, said that more needs to be done to promote marijuana cultivation in the healthy outdoors and greenhouses.

"Can't we just cut to the chase, and open the playing field to citizen-led small craft farmers,..asap?" Jasper said. "Since the big money players are already building out there.. mega grows."

He suggested making opportunities available to combat “mass-produced, air radiated, toxicly grown Monsanto Franken-weed” on the shelves.

Charles Payne, a representative for the New England Regional Council on Carpenters, called on the commission to have more oversight on construction of dispensaries and other businesses including some requirement for certified payrolls to help ensure proper wages and taxes.

He also urged the commission to ensure there are more opportunities for minorities and women in construction.

Commission members said the testimony was taped, and there would be formal hearings in the future. They said they were not commenting on the suggestions and recommendations this time, just listening in preparation for potential revisions of state regulations.