Massachusetts
Massachusetts
86,197
Registered Patient Population |
1.25%
of Total Population Represented by Patients |
136
Total Medical Retail Locations Currently in Operation |
634 : 1
Patients : Retail |
Cannabis is legal to all adults over 21 in Massachusetts. Any adult may cultivate up to six plants at home, or up to 12 plants in a household of two or more adults. Registered patients are exempt from the taxes levied cannabis products for 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 Protections |
60/100 |
|
| Arrest Protection |
25/25 |
| Affirmative Defense |
20/20 |
| Parental Rights Protections |
0/20 |
| DUI Protections |
0/10 |
| Employment Protections |
10/20 |
| Explicit Privacy Standards |
5/5 |
|
|
Access to Medicine |
65/100 |
|
| Authorizes Retail Access |
10/10 |
| Alternative Accessibility Methods |
20/20 |
| - Authorizes Delivery |
10/10 |
| - Authorizes Curbside Pickup |
10/10 |
| Personal Cultivation |
15/15 |
| Collective Gardening |
0/5 |
| Sufficient Number of Licenced Retailers |
15/30 |
| Reciprocity |
5/20 |
|
|
Program Functionality |
67/100 |
|
| Legal Protections Within Reasonable Time Frame |
20/20 |
| Reasonable Possession Limits |
10/10 |
| Reasonable Purchase Limits |
10/10 |
| Telemedicine for Physician Certifications |
7/15 |
| Patient and Physician Representation in Program Decision Making |
0/20 |
| Reasonable Caregiver Standards |
5/5 |
| - Background Checks |
2/2 |
| - Number of Caregivers |
3/3 |
| Reasonable Physician Standards |
5/5 |
| Access to Administration Methods |
10/10 |
| - Allows Dried Flower |
5/5 |
| - Allows Edibles, Concentrates, and Other Forms |
5/5 |
| Provides Access to Minors on School Grounds |
0/5 |
|
|
Affordability |
60/100 |
|
| Sales Tax Break for Patients and Caregivers |
20/20 |
| Covered by State Insurance or Health Aid |
0/20 |
| Reasonable Registration Fees |
20/20 |
| Financial Hardship Waivers or Discounts |
20/20 |
| Donation Program |
0/10 |
| Allows Multi-Year Registrations |
0/10 |
|
|
Health and Social Equity |
75/100 |
|
| State Program Protections |
25/25 |
| Housing Protections |
20/25 |
| Access for Minors |
10/10 |
| Access in Underserved Areas |
5/10 |
| List of Qualifying Conditions is Exhaustive or All Inclusive |
5/10 |
| Allows Patients to Medicate Where they Choose |
0/10 |
| Organ Transplants |
5/5 |
| Ownership or Employment Restrictions |
5/5 |
|
|
Consumer Protection and Product Safety |
138/200 |
|
| Total |
41/50 |
| Quality Management Systems |
10/10 |
| Staff Training |
10/10 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
8/8 |
| - Facility and Equipment Sanitation |
1/1 |
| - Workplace Safety |
1/1 |
| - Storage |
1/1 |
| - Batch and Lot Tracking |
1/1 |
| - Security |
1/1 |
| - Waste Disposal |
1/1 |
| - Water Management |
1/1 |
| - Records Management |
1/1 |
| Pesticide Usage Limitations |
2/2 |
| Environmental Impact Regulations |
2/2 |
| Required Testing |
5/8 |
| - Cannabinoids |
1/1 |
| - Terpenes |
0/1 |
| - Microbials |
1/1 |
| - Aflatoxins |
1/1 |
| - Pesticides |
1/1 |
| - Heavy Metals |
1/1 |
| - Foreign Matter |
0/1 |
| - Moisture Content/ Water Activity |
0/1 |
| Packaging and Labeling |
1/3 |
| - Cannabinoids |
1/1 |
| - Terpenes |
0/1 |
| - Pesticides |
0/1 |
| Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting, and Recall Protocol |
3/7 |
| Total |
39/50 |
| Quality Management Systems |
10/10 |
| Staff Training |
10/10 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
7/7 |
| - Facility and Equipment Sanitation |
1/1 |
| - Workplace Safety |
1/1 |
| - Storage |
1/1 |
| - Batch and Lot Tracking |
1/1 |
| - Security |
1/1 |
| - Waste Disposal |
1/1 |
| - Records Management |
1/1 |
| Environmental Impact Regulations |
3/3 |
| Required Testing |
5/10 |
| - Cannabinoids |
1/1 |
| - Terpenes |
0/1 |
| - Microbials |
1/1 |
| - Aflatoxins |
1/1 |
| - Pesticides |
0/1 |
| - Heavy Metals |
1/1 |
| - Residual Solvents |
1/1 |
| - Homogeneity |
0/1 |
| - Foreign Matter |
0/1 |
| - Water Activity |
0/1 |
| Packaging and Labeling |
4/5 |
| - Cannabinoids |
1/1 |
| - Terpenes |
0/1 |
| - Ingredients |
1/1 |
| - Allergens |
1/1 |
| - Nutritional Content |
1/1 |
| Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol |
0/5 |
| Total |
26/50 |
| Staff Training |
20/20 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
6/7 |
| - Facility Sanitation |
0/1 |
| - Workplace Safety |
1/1 |
| - Storage |
1/1 |
| - Batch and Lot Tracking |
1/1 |
| - Security |
1/1 |
| - Waste Disposal |
1/1 |
| - Records Management |
1/1 |
| Product Testing |
0/10 |
| - Product Meets Requirements Before Sale |
0/5 |
| - COA Disclosure |
0/5 |
| Complaints, Adverse Event Reporting and Recall Protocol |
0/13 |
| Total |
32/50 |
| Independent or Third-Party |
5/5 |
| Laboratory Sampling |
0/5 |
| Method Validation |
2/4 |
| Quality Management Systems |
3/5 |
| Staff Training |
20/20 |
| Standard Operating Procedures |
2/7 |
| - Facility and Equipment Sanitation |
0/1 |
| - Equipment and Instrument Calibration |
0/1 |
| - Workplace Safety |
0/1 |
| - Sample Tracking |
1/1 |
| - Security |
1/1 |
| - Waste Disposal |
0/1 |
| - Records Management |
0/1 |
| Result Reporting |
0/4 |
|
|
Score Penalties |
20/100 |
|
| Gives Regulatory Preference to Adult Use |
20/20 |
| Classifies Cannabis as a Medicine of Last Resort |
0/15 |
| Administrative or Supply Problems |
0/15 |
| Requires Vertical Integration |
0/10 |
| Creates New Criminal Penalties for Patients |
0/10 |
| Limits Patients to a Single Retailer |
0/10 |
| No System for Adding Qualifying Conditions |
0/10 |
| Imposes Bans or Limits on THC |
0/5 |
| Imposes Bans or Limits on CBD |
0/5 |
|
| Excerpted from ASA's 2021 State of the States Report. |
