Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey (D) signed H.5350 on Sunday, enacting legislation that doubles the adult marijuana possession limit from one to two ounces and restructures the state's cannabis regulatory framework.
Both chambers passed the bill unanimously; the conference committee was co-chaired by Sen. Adam Gómez (D) and Rep. Daniel M. Donahue (D), who also co-chair the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy.
H.5350 cuts the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) from five to three commissioners, all appointed by the governor — adopting the House approach over a Senate version that would have given the attorney general one seat, and removing the treasurer's prior appointment role. One commissioner must have a social justice background; the other two must qualify in public health, public safety, social justice, consumer regulations, or cannabis production and distribution.
The law raises the per-entity license cap from three to six and the equity-ownership threshold from 10 to 20 percent. Medical cannabis operators no longer must be vertically integrated. Dispensaries may advertise sales, discounts, and loyalty programs inside stores and via opt-in email, and delivery operators can serve any municipality unless local officials opt out.
A new portal will handle reports of illegal conduct. Regulators must list cannabis businesses with unpaid debts over 60 days and bar others from transacting with them until those debts are cleared. Regulators must also study hemp-derived products, public health impacts, tax policy, and workplace safety. Colorado enacted the same possession increase in 2021.
CCC Executive Director Travis Ahern said the agency would keep its focus on regulating a safe and equitable cannabis industry during the transition.
The signing comes as cannabis businesses have filed a lawsuit to block a ballot initiative that would repeal commercial recreational sales and home cultivation while letting adults 21 and older possess up to one ounce; possession of one to two ounces would draw a $100 fine, gifting cannabis would remain lawful, and medical sales would continue. Lawmakers have until May 5 to act on the initiative; absent legislative action, organizers need 12,429 certified signatures by July 1 for the November ballot. A Bay State Poll from the University of Hampshire's States of Opinion Project found most Massachusetts adults oppose the rollback. The state has surpassed $9 billion in adult-use sales since the market launched in 2018, and a CCC report found 84 percent of past-year users obtained cannabis from licensed sources.
