Massachusetts

Massachusetts

88,053 Registered Patient Population

1.27% of Total Population Represented by Patients

140 Total Medical Retail Locations Currently in Operation

628 : 1 Patients : Retail

Cannabis is legal to all adults over 21 in Massachusetts. Any adult may cultivate up to six plants at home, 12 plants in a household of two or more adults. Registered patients are exempt from the taxes levied cannabis products unlike adult-use consumers. Patients may possess up to 10 ounces of cannabis or 1.5 ounces of concentrates in public. Massachusetts dispensaries do not honor out of state medical cannabis cards.

Patient Rights and Civil Protection	80/100
Arrest Protection 40/40 Affirmative Defense 13/15 Parental Rights Protections 10/10 DUI Protections 0/5 Employment Protections 0/5 Explicit Privacy Standards 7/7 Housing Protections 0/5 Does Not Create New Criminal Penalties for Patients 5/5 Organ Transplants 5/5 Reciprocity 0/3
Access to Medicine	86/100
Allows Distribution Programs 36/40 – Allows Access to Dried Flowers 15/15 – Allows Delivery 5/5 – No Sales Tax or Reasonable Sales Tax 5/5 – Allows for a Reasonable Number of Dispensaries 5/5 – Does Not Require Vertical Integration 1/2 – Ownership/Employment Restrictions 1/2 – Provisions for Labor Standards 0/2 – Environmental Impact Regulations 2/2 – Choice of Dispensary Without Restrictions 2/2 Noncommercial Cultivation 10/20 – Personal Cultivation 10/15 – Collective Gardening 0/5 Explicit Right to Edibles/Concentrates/Other Forms 10/10 Does not Impose Bans or Limits on THC 10/10 Does not Impose Bans on CBD 10/10 Local Bans/Zoning 10/10
Ease of Navigation	90/100
Comprehensive Qualifying Conditions 50/50 Adding New Conditions 10/10 – Law/Regulations Allow for New Conditions 5/5 – System Works for Adding New Conditions 5/5 Reasonable Access for Minors 8/10 Reasonable Caregiver Background Checks 3/4 Number of Caregivers 2/2 Patient/Practitioner-Focused Task Force or Advisory Board 0/2 Reasonable Fees (Patients and Caregivers) 8/10 Allows Multiple-Year Registrations 0/2 Reasonable Physician Requirements 4/5 Does Not Classify Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort 5/5
Functionality	83/100
Patients Able to Access Medicine at Dispensaries or by Cultivation 45/50 No Significant Administrative or Supply Problems 10/15 Patients Can Receive Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame of Doctor's Recommendation 8/10 Reasonable Possession Limits 5/5 Reasonable Purchase Limits 5/5 Allows Patients to Medicate Where They Choose 4/5 Covered by Insurance/State Health Aid 0/3 Financial Hardship (Fee Waivers/Discount Medicine) 6/7
Consumer Safety and Provider Requirements	79/100
Dispensing 25/25 Staff Training 5/5 Standard Operating Procedures 5/5 – Facility Sanitary Conditions 1.25/1.25 – Storage Protocols 1.25/1.25 – Reasonable Security Protocols 1.25/1.25 – Inventory Control 1.25/1.25 Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting 5/5 Product Labeling 5/5 – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification 1.67/1.67 – Allergens 1.67/1.67 – Potency/Compound Identification 1.67/1.67 Required Testing 5/5 – Active Compound Identification 1.67/1.67 – Contaminants 1.67/1.67 – Potency 1.67/1.67 Grow/Cultivation 23/25 Staff Training 5/5 Standard Operating Procedures 5/5 – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions 0.71/0.71 – Workforce Safety Protocols 0.71/0.71 – Storage Protocols (Short-Term and Long-Term Storage) 0.71/0.71 – Reasonable Security Protocols 0.71/0.71 – Batch and Lot Tracking 0.71/0.71 – Disposal/Waste 0.71/0.71 – Water Management 0.71/0.71 Pesticide Guidance 3/5 – Pesticide Guidance 2/2.5 – Pesticide Labeling 1/2.5 Required Testing 5/5 – Active Ingredient Identification 1.25/1.25 – Contaminants 1.25/1.25 – Potency 1.25/1.25 – Sample Retention 1.25/1.25 Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting 5/5 Manufacturing 23/25 Staff Training 5/5 Standard Operating Procedures 5/5 – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions 1/1 – Workforce Safety Protocols 1/1 – Storage Protocols 1/1 – Reasonable Security Protocols 1/1 – Batch and Lot Tracking 1/1 Product Labeling 5/5 – Product Contents, Including Source Material Identification 1.67/1.67 – Allergens 1.67/1.67 – Potency and Compound Information 1.67/1.67 Required Testing 3/5 – Active Ingredient Identification 1/1 – Contaminants 1/1 – Potency 1/1 – Shelf Life Testing 0/1 – Sample Retention 0/1 Recall Protocol and Adverse Event Reporting 5/5 Laboratory Operations 8.32/25 Staff Training 5/5 Method Validation in Accordance with AHP Guidelines 0/5 Result Reporting 0/5 Independent or Third Party 0/5 Standard Operating Procedures and Protocols 3.32/5 – Equipment and Instrument Calibration 0/0.83 – Sample Tracking 0.83/0.83 – Facility and Equipment Sanitary Conditions 0.83/0.83 – Disposal/Waste 0/0.83 – Storage Protocols 0.83/0.83 – Workforce Safety Protocols 0.83/0.83
Covid Response	20/20
Delivery Available? 6/6 Curbside Pickup Available? 2/2 Medical Cannabis Essential? 7/7 Telemedicine Available? 5/5
Excerpted from ASA's 2020 State of the States Report.

Becoming a Patient in Massachusetts

Recommending Cannabis in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Advocacy

History of Medical Cannabis in Massachusetts

Policy Recommendations Massachusetts