Marijuana Business Factbook 2019

93 © Copyright 2020, Marijuana Business Daily , a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. You may NOT copy this Factbook, or make public the data and facts contained herein, in part or in whole. For more copies or editorial permissions, contact CustomerService@MJBizDaily.com or call (720) 213-5992, ext. 1. State-By-State: Legal Overview, Market Data and Outlook | Chapter 2 MJBIZDAILY.COM MASSACHUSETTS Medical REGULATORY OVERVIEW Main measure Question 3 Type of measure Ballot initiative Year passed 2012 Margin of victory 63% to 37% Possession limit 10 ounces every 60 days Patient registry Mandatory―electronic recommendation from a qualified physician or certified nurse practitioner is required Accepts patients registered with other states? No Home cultivation Yes, but limited to caregivers serving patients who have demonstrated financial hardship, who have a physical incapacity that prevents them from getting to a dispensary, or who live beyond a reasonable distance from an MMJ center; recreational laws allow six plants per resident at home up to 12 plants per residence Restrictions on type of marijuana allowed to be sold? Edible products should not resemble any product available for consumption as a commercially available candy Qualifying medical conditions Cancer, glaucoma, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, ALS, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), and other debilitating conditions as determined in writing by a qualifying patient’s health care provider Business regulations Heavy. Dispensary applicants must go through an extensive, expensive multiphase application process and follow a host of regulations covering everything from security and advertising to seed-to-sale tracking systems and testing. Dispensaries are required to cultivate most of the cannabis they sell―no separate, stand-alone grow operations are allowed―but they can buy limited amounts of marijuana from other dispensaries. Many towns also require that dispensaries wishing to operate within their borders sign "host community agreements" that require them to pay fees that often reach five or six digits.