Massachusetts regulators have issued the state’s first cannabis research facility license to a unit of multistate operator Curaleaf Holdings.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) unanimously approved the application of Curaleaf Processing to operate a marijuana research lab in Newton, the agency said in a news release.
“We are excited to move the state’s first-ever Research Facility license forward in the hopes that it will contribute to a safer regulated cannabis industry, rooted in science,” CCC Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins said in a statement.
Curaleaf Processing is a unit of Massachusetts-based Curaleaf, which operates 149 marijuana stores and 19 cultivation sites in 17 states.
The permit allows any academic institution, nonprofit or commercial business to conduct a specified research study over a certain period of time.
Massachusetts is among five states that offer research licenses, including New York, Connecticut, Washington and Colorado, the release noted.
Fifteen research licenses have been granted nationwide, according to the CCC, but only 10 facilities are operational.
