Massachusetts law about medical marijuana

For information on recreational marijuana, please see law about recreational marijuana.

Massachusetts law

MGL c.94I Medical use of marijuana
Allows use of marijuana for medical purposes.

Massachusetts regulations

935 CMR Cannabis Control Commission

• 935 CMR 500.100 – Dispensary within 500 feet of a school
• 935 CMR 500.140 – Age requirements and ID verification for retail sales establishments
• 935 CMR 500.150(4) - Limits on dosing potency for edibles

Selected cases

Barbuto v. Advantage Sales and Marketing, LLC, 477 Mass. 456 (2017)
An employee who has been fired for using medical marijuana off-site, and not before or during work, may sue her employer for handicap discrimination.

West Street Associates, LLC v. Mansfield Planning Board, 488 Mass. 319 (2021)
"A previously enacted municipal bylaw that permits only nonprofit entities to operate medical marijuana dispensaries is preempted by a statutory provision specifically eliminating that restriction."

Wright's Case, 486 Mass. 98 (2020)
A workers’ compensation insurer cannot be compelled to pay for an employee's medical marijuana.

Web sources

Medical use of marijuana program, Cannabis Control Commission
Includes links to information for patients, dispensaries and more.

Medical marijuana, Mass. Medical Society
Links to information on issues for physicians regarding medical marijuana

Medical marijuana dispensaries, Mass. Executive Office of Health and Human Services.
Provides the location and hours of all registered medical marijuana dispensaries in Massachusetts.

Open letter to all Federal firearms licensees, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, September 21, 2011.
"any person who uses or is addicted to marijuana, regardless of whether his or her State has passed legislation authorizing marijuana use for medicinal purposes, is an unlawful user of or addicted to a controlled substance, and is prohibited by Federal law from possessing firearms or ammunition."

What you can do about second-hand smoke, Nolo
Provides possible tactics for dealing with a neighbor who is sharing secondhand marijuana smoke.

Last updated:	September 9, 2021