Massachusetts cannabis rules for visitors

Adults 21 and older may carry up to 2 ounces of cannabis, or the Commission's equivalent amount of products, and may keep up to 10 ounces at their primary residence plus what their own plants produce (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 7(a), as rewritten by St. 2026, c. 65, effective April 19, 2026). Stores may sell no more than 2 ounces per transaction and per day; 1 ounce of flower equals 5 grams of active THC in concentrate or 500 milligrams of THC in edibles, so the daily ceiling is 10 grams or 1,000 milligrams (935 CMR 500.140(3), (4)). Carrying more than 2 but not more than 3 ounces outside the home is a civil offense with a penalty of up to $100 and forfeiture (s. 13(e)). Question 8 on the November 3, 2026 ballot would end adult-use retail sales and cut the limit to 1 ounce from January 1, 2028.

Bring a valid government-issued ID, such as a driver's license or passport; Massachusetts has no residency rule for adult-use purchases, and stores check ID at the door and the register (935 CMR 500.140(2)). Use cannabis only on private property where the owner allows it: public use, or smoking where tobacco smoking is banned, is a civil fine of up to $100 (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 13(c)), and the Commission says no social consumption venue is licensed yet. Hotels may ban cannabis, state law allows smoking only in designated smoking rooms, Boston's workplace smoking rule allows none in hotels, and delivery may not go to hotels. In a car, keep packages sealed in the trunk or a locked glove box (civil fine up to $500 for an open container). DCR parks and beaches ban possession, and flights out of Logan, federal land and trips across state lines fall under federal law, where adult-use marijuana remains Schedule I.

The regulator is the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission. Check any shop's license on the state license lookup before you buy.

Adults 21 and older may buy up to 2 ounces of cannabis a day and carry up to 2 ounces, or the equivalent amount of products set by the Commission, and may keep up to 10 ounces at their primary residence plus whatever their own plants produce. The 2-ounce carry figure took effect on April 19, 2026, when Chapter 65 of the Acts of 2026 rewrote M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 7(a)(1) and dropped the old 5-gram cap on concentrate (St. 2026, c. 65, s. 29). The online General Laws still showed the old 1-ounce text in August 2026, so the session law controls.

Store limits match the statute. A Marijuana Retailer may not knowingly sell one customer more than 2 ounces of cannabis a day, or its combined dry-weight equivalent in concentrate or edibles, and may not exceed that amount in a single transaction (935 CMR 500.140(3)(a), (4)(c)). One ounce of flower equals 5 grams of active THC in concentrate, tinctures included, or 500 milligrams of active THC in edibles, so the daily ceiling works out to 10 grams or 1,000 milligrams of THC. Topicals and ointments carry no daily limit.

The Commission moved quickly after the law changed. Its Administrative Order No. 6, issued and effective April 19, 2026, told stores and delivery businesses to apply the 2-ounce cap at once. Emergency regulations followed after a 3-0 vote announced on June 17, 2026, and the current version of 935 CMR 500.000 took effect on September 11, 2026. Chapter 65 gives the Commission one year from the law's effective date to finish conforming its rules, so the product equivalents could still change (St. 2026, c. 65, s. 65).

Gifts are allowed: an adult may give up to 2 ounces, or the product equivalent, to another adult 21 or older as long as nothing is paid and the transfer is not advertised or promoted (c. 94G, s. 7(a)(4), as rewritten by c. 65, s. 30). Carrying more than 2 but not more than 3 ounces outside the home is a civil offense with a penalty of up to $100 and forfeiture of the excess (s. 13(e), as amended by c. 65, s. 32). On November 3, 2026, voters decide Question 8, which would repeal the laws that legalize, regulate and tax adult-use retail sales and let adults possess 1 ounce or less from January 1, 2028; a no vote changes nothing.

You must be 21 or older and show valid government-issued identification. A store agent must inspect your ID as soon as you walk in, may not admit you until your age is verified, and must check it again at the point of sale (935 CMR 500.140(2)(a), (b)). A retailer must refuse to sell to anyone who cannot produce valid government-issued identification (500.140(4)(a)). The Commission's advice for visitors from other states repeats the same two conditions: be 21 or older and present a valid government-issued ID.

Massachusetts does not require residency for adult-use purchases. The statute protects any person 21 or older (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 7(a)), and the Commission says out-of-state visitors can buy as long as they use their purchase in Massachusetts. Its first-visit guidance for caregivers at medical dispensaries lists a current driver's license, passport, military ID or state-issued ID card and says no temporary forms of ID are accepted. Neither source limits the list to U.S. documents, but the agent at the door decides, so bring the original card or passport.

Stores may collect only what an ordinary retail sale needs, which can include information to determine your age, and may not keep other personal details without your voluntary written permission (935 CMR 500.140(2)(c)). Delivery is the exception. To receive an order you must first pre-verify, in person or through a Commission-approved electronic method, with valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID, and the store may then keep your name, date of birth, address, phone number and email address for that purpose only (500.140(2)(d) to (f)).

Underage attempts are civil offenses with real follow-up. A person under 21 who buys or tries to buy, arranges a purchase, lies about age or alters an ID to buy faces a civil penalty of up to $100 and must complete a drug awareness program, and the parents of an offender under 18 are notified (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 13(f)). The exception is a registered medical patient: the medical program certifies patients 18 and older, and younger patients only when two certifying physicians diagnose a life-limiting illness or, with a parent's written consent, find that the benefits outweigh the risks (935 CMR 501.002, 501.010(11)).

On private property, with the owner's permission. No one may consume cannabis in a public place or smoke it where smoking tobacco is prohibited, and a violation carries a civil penalty of up to $100 (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 13(c)). The Commission's guidance says you cannot use cannabis in any form, including smoking, vaping or eating, in public places or on federal land. The chapter's definitions section does not define public place, so treat sidewalks, parks, beaches and anywhere else open to the public as off limits.

Owners and managers set the rules for their own property. The law does not stop anyone from prohibiting or regulating cannabis on property they own, occupy or manage, with one limit: a lease may not bar a tenant from consuming cannabis by means other than smoking in the home they rent, unless allowing it would put the landlord in violation of federal law (c. 94G, s. 2(d)(1)). Employers may ban use at work (s. 2(e)), and the law authorizes no use on school grounds, school buses or in youth centers (s. 2(d)(3)).

Boston applies the state rule and has no exception zone of its own. The Boston Public Health Commission's cannabis page names public parks, sidewalks, bars and restaurants as public places where smoking or consuming cannabis of any kind is prohibited. It also warns that many apartment and condominium buildings have smoke-free and vape-free policies that cover cannabis, and that using or growing it in public housing can cost a tenant their home. That page still prints the pre-2026 one-ounce carry limit, so rely on it for places, not amounts.

Transit and state parks add their own bans. The MBTA prohibits smoking, vaping and e-cigarettes in all stations and vehicles and warns of tickets, fines or arrest, and the smoke-free law bans smoking on public transportation and in train and bus stations (M.G.L. c. 270, s. 22(b)(2)). On property of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, whose rules cover its beaches, campsites, trails and pools, no one may possess marijuana except for authorized medical use (302 CMR 12.04(10)), and smoking materials are barred from designated swimming areas (12.06(5)).

Only if the hotel allows it, and smoking is the hardest part. We found no Massachusetts provision giving a hotel guest a right to use cannabis in a room. The law lets anyone who owns, occupies or manages property prohibit or regulate cannabis there (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 2(d)(1)), and the Commission's FAQ tells visitors that hotels and other rental properties may have their own rules. Its Know the Laws page gives the same advice: if you are staying at a hotel or rental, ask about the cannabis policy before consuming.

The Smoke-Free Workplace Law covers hotels, but it is written for tobacco. It defines smoking as inhaling, exhaling, burning or carrying a lighted or heated cigar, cigarette, pipe or other tobacco product, including electronic cigarettes and similar vaporizing devices, and it does not name cannabis (M.G.L. c. 270, s. 22(a)). Cannabis comes in through the adult-use law, which forbids smoking marijuana anywhere smoking tobacco is prohibited, with a civil penalty of up to $100 (c. 94G, s. 13(c)). Chapter 94G does not say whether vaping cannabis counts as smoking it.

Outside Boston, that makes the hotel's room designation decisive for anything you light. The smoke-free law bans smoking in workplaces, hallways, restaurants and bars, and it excludes hotels, motels, inns and bed and breakfasts from its private-residence exemption. Smoking is allowed only in a guest room the operator has designated as a smoking room and marked on the door and inside, or on a floor designated for smoking (s. 22(a), (b)(2), (c)(3), (g)(1)). Cities and towns may set stricter limits (s. 22(j)), and Boston has: its Public Health Commission's workplace smoking regulation, as amended on December 17, 2015, allows smoking only in private residences, retail tobacco stores, stage performances and religious ceremonies, bans e-cigarettes in workplaces and makes no exception for hotel rooms.

Edibles avoid the smoking ban but not the hotel's policy or the public-place rule, so keep them in the room and out of lobbies, pools and bars. Delivery will not reach a hotel either: couriers and delivery operators may deliver only to a residence, which the regulations define as a house, condominium or apartment and which excludes hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and other commercial hospitality operations (935 CMR 500.002, 500.145(2)(c), (3)(c)). The definition does not say how it treats a short-term rental apartment, so ask the delivery business before you order.

Not yet: the rules exist, but no venue is licensed. The Commission voted 4-0 on December 11, 2025 to approve social consumption regulations, which took effect on January 2, 2026 and created three license types: Supplemental, for an existing cannabis business to add a consumption area; Hospitality, for a new business or one operating inside a non-cannabis venue; and Marijuana Event Organizer, for temporary events (935 CMR 500.002). The Commission's FAQ, which names restaurants, lounges and yoga studios as possible Hospitality hosts, says there are currently no licensed social consumption establishments in Massachusetts.

Each city or town has to opt in first. A municipality may allow consumption on the premises where cannabis is sold through a local voter petition and ballot question, or by ordinance or bylaw (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 3(b)), and the Commission asks towns that opt in to report it through its Municipal Zoning Tracker. On October 16, 2026, the tracker listed all 351 cities and towns, Boston included, with no social consumption zoning in place. Boston's 2019 cannabis ordinance defines a marijuana social consumption operator (City Code 8-13.2), but the tracker does not show the city as opted in.

Licensing is still being built. A June 2026 update described working groups drafting applications, vendor training and municipal guidance, and in August 2026 the Commission began taking applications from trainers who want to teach the social consumption curriculum. Its September 9, 2026 release expected Supplemental license applications by the end of 2026, and its October 8, 2026 release said only that they should open in the coming months. For 36 months after at least one licensee in each class receives a notice to commence operations, the licenses are reserved for social equity participants, economic empowerment applicants, microbusinesses and craft cooperatives (935 CMR 500.050).

When venues open, the rules are specific. Everyone must be 21 or older and ID-scanned at the door, a venue may serve one person no more than half the daily limit at a time, alcohol and tobacco may not be sold or consumed on the premises, visibly intoxicated customers must be refused, and sales run only from 7:00 a.m. to midnight unless the town allows otherwise (935 CMR 500.141(3)(b), (4), (5)). Customers may not bring their own cannabis, leftovers leave in a sealed exit bag (Commission FAQ), and the smoke-free law exempts licensed consumption areas (M.G.L. c. 270, s. 22(p)).

Keep cannabis sealed and out of the passenger area, do not use it in the vehicle, and do not drive impaired. No one in a vehicle on a public way, or anywhere the public has access, may have an open container of cannabis in the passenger area, and a violation is a civil penalty of up to $500 (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 13(d)). A container is open once its seal is broken or any of its contents have been removed or consumed. The passenger area excludes the trunk, a locked glove compartment, the living quarters of a motor home and, in a vehicle with no trunk, the area behind the last upright seat.

Because opening a package in the passenger area is itself a violation, a passenger cannot legally use cannabis on the road either. The Commission's FAQ adds that consuming while operating a car is strictly prohibited. The smoke-free law also bans smoking on any public transportation conveyance, a term its definitions apply to taxis, so smoking cannabis in a cab is a separate civil offense with a penalty of up to $100 (M.G.L. c. 270, s. 22(a), (b)(2); c. 94G, s. 13(c)). That definition names taxis and excludes private vehicles that are not open to the public; it does not mention app-based rideshares.

Driving under the influence of marijuana is operating under the influence, under the same statute as alcohol. A first conviction carries a fine of $500 to $5,000, up to two and a half years in jail, or both, plus assessments of $250 and $50 (M.G.L. c. 90, s. 24(1)(a)(1)). The statute sets a 0.08 blood alcohol level but no THC level, so for cannabis the question is whether the driver was under the influence. The adult-use law left these penalties unchanged (c. 94G, s. 2(a)).

A conviction also costs the license. It revokes the license or right to operate unless the driver qualifies for and accepts first-offender disposition under section 24D, and after a first conviction the Registrar may not restore it until one year later, although a hardship hearing is available after three months (c. 90, s. 24(1)(b), (c)(1)). The Commission's 2018 consumer notice warned that the effects of edible cannabis may be delayed by two hours or more, so settle the ride home before you eat one, not after.

No: plan to reach Logan with none, and do not carry cannabis across any state line. The smoke-free law bans smoking in any airport, train station, bus station or passenger terminal, which makes smoking cannabis there a civil offense (M.G.L. c. 270, s. 22(b)(2); c. 94G, s. 13(c)). TSA says its officers do not search for illegal drugs, but any illegal substance found at screening is referred to a law enforcement officer, and the final decision on any item rests with the TSA officer. We could not read a Massport policy on cannabis, so do not count on a place to leave it at the airport.

Federal law governs the flight. The FAA's 2022 compliance letter calls marijuana a Schedule I controlled substance and says its cultivation, storage or distribution is prohibited on federally obligated airport property regardless of state law. Federal simple possession carries up to a year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine for a first offense (21 U.S.C. 844). The April 28, 2026 DEA rule states that any form of marijuana other than an FDA-approved drug or marijuana under a state medical license remains Schedule I, which covers adult-use purchases.

Massachusetts protection stops at the border. The Commission says it is illegal to drive across state lines with cannabis or to take it out of Massachusetts by plane, train, boat or any other mode of transportation, and illegal to mail any cannabis product, even to a state or country where it is legal. The statute's broader protection for possessing any amount for personal use applies only once federal law no longer prohibits importing or exporting marijuana to or from the Commonwealth (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 7(b)).

Neighbors set their own limits, which matter only for cannabis bought there. New Hampshire has not legalized adult use: possessing 3/4 of an ounce or less is a violation with a $100 fine for a first or second offense (RSA 318-B:2-c). Connecticut allows 1.5 ounces, plus up to 5 ounces kept in a locked container at home or in a locked glove box or trunk (C.G.S. 21a-279a), Vermont 1 ounce or 5 grams of hashish (18 V.S.A. 4230a), New York 3 ounces plus 24 grams of concentrate (Penal Law 222.05), and Rhode Island 1 ounce (R.I. Gen. Laws 21-28.11-22).

No. The Commission says cannabis cannot be used in any form on federal land, and adult-use marijuana remains Schedule I under federal law. The Park Service possession rule, 36 CFR 2.35(b)(2), excepts substances otherwise allowed by federal or state law, and we found no Park Service statement on how that applies to Massachusetts adult-use cannabis. In 2014 testimony about the District of Columbia, the acting chief of the U.S. Park Police told a House subcommittee that marijuana possession on federal parkland could be charged under 36 CFR 2.35(b) as a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months and a fine of up to $5,000. Simple possession under 21 U.S.C. 844 carries up to a year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine for a first offense.

Cape Cod National Seashore's compendium, last updated June 9, 2026, applies in addition to Title 36 on the parts of the Seashore under Park Service jurisdiction, and it bans smoking and electronic nicotine devices on protected swimming beaches when lifeguards are on duty. Its six fee beaches, per the Seashore's fees page, are Coast Guard, Nauset Light, Marconi, Head of the Meadow, Race Point and Herring Cove, and the compendium lists the same six as its designated swimming beaches. The compendium also names town-managed beaches in Wellfleet, Newcomb Hollow and White Crest, next to federal tracts; on town land the state public-use ban applies.

Boston Harbor Islands is a national park area administered in partnership by the Park Service, the Commonwealth and the City of Boston, and its enabling law leaves the state's civil and criminal jurisdiction unchanged, so state law applies there alongside federal rules. Other Park Service sites in the area include Boston National Historical Park, whose 2.5-mile Freedom Trail runs through downtown and Charlestown, and Minute Man National Historical Park. Park Service rules apply only on the federally administered parts of these parks (36 CFR 1.2(a)); along the Freedom Trail's city sidewalks, the state public-use ban governs. The April 28, 2026 DEA rule moved only FDA-approved products and state-licensed medical marijuana to Schedule III; adult-use marijuana remains Schedule I.

A separate DEA rescheduling case held its hearing from June 29 to July 15, 2026, and on September 29, 2026 the Chief Administrative Law Judge stayed it pending a motion; it has produced no final rule. Federal drug law applies on tribal land as it does elsewhere (21 U.S.C. 844). The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe, federally acknowledged again in 2007, holds reservation land in Mashpee and Taunton, and the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah) holds about 485 acres of tribal lands under its 1987 settlement. Neither tribe's website publishes a cannabis rule for visitors that we found.

Yes, to a residence, but not to a hotel. Two license types deliver to consumers: a Marijuana Courier carries orders placed with a licensed retailer, and a Marijuana Delivery Operator buys wholesale, keeps inventory at its warehouse and sells directly to consumers (935 CMR 500.145(1)(e), (f), (3)(d)). Deliveries may go only to a residence, defined as a house, condominium or apartment, excluding dormitories and campus housing, bed and breakfasts, hotels, motels and other commercial hospitality operations, federal public housing, shelters and residential programs (935 CMR 500.002).

Chapter 65 made delivery the default in every city and town. Since April 19, 2026, limited delivery to consumers is allowed in any municipality, except that a city or town that does not authorize retail stores may obtain a Commission waiver and prohibit it for up to 2 years, renewable in 2-year increments (St. 2026, c. 65, s. 25). On October 16, 2026, the Commission's tracker listed 16 towns with delivery waivers, among them Lexington, Needham, Wayland and Westborough, and every other city and town as delivery permitted.

Each order is capped at 2 ounces or its dry-weight equivalent, with one order per consumer per delivery and no more than one delivery to the same consumer at the same residence per calendar day (935 CMR 500.145(2)(f), (g), (3)(e), (f)). You must pre-verify with valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID before your first order, and the agent checks that ID and your signature again at the door (500.140(2)(d), 500.145(4), (5)). Deliveries must be completed between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 p.m.; a town may narrow those hours but not extend them (500.145(1)(n)).

The delivery market is small. On the Commission's license file updated October 6, 2026, 16 Delivery Operators and 10 Couriers held final licenses and had commenced operations; the Commission's September 9 release counted nine couriers and 16 operators. Delivery licenses are reserved for social equity program participants and certified economic empowerment applicants until April 1, 2029, unless the Commission votes to extend that period (935 CMR 500.050). The state's first adult-use delivery business began operating on June 4, 2021, the Commission says.

Yes, if you are 21 or older and it is your primary residence. An adult may possess, cultivate or process up to 6 plants for personal use, with no more than 12 plants on the premises at once, and may keep whatever those plants produce in addition to the 10-ounce home possession allowance (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 7(a)(2)). The Commission's Know the Laws page puts it the same way: up to six plants, or up to 12 for two or more adults. The allowance attaches to a primary residence, so it does not travel with a visitor to a hotel or rental.

Plants must be grown in an area with a lock or other security device and must not be visible from a public place without binoculars, aircraft or other optical aids; breaking either rule is a civil penalty of up to $300 and forfeiture of the plants (c. 94G, s. 13(a)). Growing more than 6 but not more than 12 plants is a civil penalty of up to $100 and forfeiture of the excess (s. 13(e)). More than 2 ounces kept at home must be locked up, or the penalty is up to $100 and forfeiture (s. 13(b), as amended by St. 2026, c. 65, s. 31).

Home extraction is limited. Unless it is done under a product manufacturer license, the law does not authorize making marijuana or hemp products with any liquid or gas, other than alcohol, that has a flashpoint below 100 degrees Fahrenheit (c. 94G, s. 2(c)), and the Commission's FAQ repeats that warning. A person under 21 who cultivates up to 12 plants faces a civil penalty of up to $100 and a drug awareness program unless registered as a medical patient (s. 13(h)).

Medical patients and renters have separate considerations. The Commission says registered patients may grow up to twelve flowering and twelve vegetative plants at home, and that the Hardship Cultivation Registration, meant to let qualifying patients grow a 60-day supply, has not yet been implemented. Renters should read the lease: the law lets a property owner prohibit or regulate the production of marijuana on its property, and the tenant protection in c. 94G, s. 2(d)(1) covers consumption by means other than smoking, not growing.

Adult-use cannabis carries up to 20 percent in taxes at the register. The Department of Revenue lists three: the 6.25 percent state sales tax, the 10.75 percent state marijuana excise, and a local option of up to 3 percent for cities and towns. The excise applies to the total sales price of retail sales to anyone other than another licensed business and is charged in addition to the sales tax (M.G.L. c. 64N, s. 2; c. 64H, s. 2). Chapter 65 ordered a study of the excise rates but did not change them (St. 2026, c. 65, s. 57).

The local tax depends on the store's town. A city or town that accepts the local option may impose up to 3 percent on sales by retailers operating within it, effective on the first day of the calendar quarter that follows 30 days after acceptance (c. 64N, s. 3). Retailers source the local tax to their host community, and delivery operators collect their own host community's local tax on every delivery, wherever the customer lives (830 CMR 64N.1.1(3)(b), (4)(a); DOR Marijuana Retail Taxes FAQs). Receipts must state each tax separately (830 CMR 64N.1.1(5)(a)).

Medical purchases are exempt from all three taxes when the buyer presents a Medical Use of Marijuana Program registration card with valid government-issued ID and the store verifies the registration with the Commission (830 CMR 64N.1.1(3)(a)2, (3)(c)2.a; DOR FAQs). That rarely helps a visitor, because the program is open to Massachusetts residents and to a narrow group of non-residents receiving end-of-life, palliative or cancer care in the state (935 CMR 501.002). Sales of accessories and other items without cannabis go on the ordinary sales tax return, not the marijuana return.

The Department of Revenue has collected these taxes on adult-use sales by licensed facilities since July 1, 2018, before the first stores opened, and retailers report the sales tax, excise and local option tax together on one return, Form MRT. The Commission's September 9, 2026 release said cities and towns received over $43 million in local option taxes in fiscal year 2026 alone. We did not confirm which towns charge the full 3 percent, so ask the store whether a posted price includes tax.

No. The Commission's Know the Laws page says out-of-state residents cannot purchase medical marijuana in Massachusetts and that only registered qualifying patients who are Massachusetts residents, or their caregivers, may buy it. We found no reciprocity list and no visitor registration. A visiting patient 21 or older can still shop at an adult-use store with government-issued ID, within the adult-use limit of 2 ounces a day and paying the adult-use taxes, which run up to 20 percent with the local option.

The regulations carve out one narrow group. A qualifying patient may be a Massachusetts resident, or a non-resident receiving end-of-life or palliative care or cancer treatment in Massachusetts as determined by a certifying healthcare provider, who is 18 or older and has been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition; patients under 18 need two certifying physicians, who may certify a life-limiting illness or, with written parental consent, another debilitating condition when they judge the benefits greater than the risks (935 CMR 501.002, 501.010(11)). The Commission's new-patient guide states the plain residency rule and does not mention that exception, so a visitor in that situation should ask the treating provider.

Registered patients may possess a 60-day supply, which the regulations set at ten ounces unless a certifying provider determines otherwise (935 CMR 501.002). The Commission says there is no fee to register, though providers may charge for certification visits, and medical sales are exempt from the sales tax, excise and local option tax when the patient shows the card and ID (830 CMR 64N.1.1(3)(a)2). Medical status does not allow public use: the Commission says medical marijuana cannot be used in any form in public places or on federal land.

The program is changing. The Commission's September 16, 2026 release said Chapter 65 ended the vertical integration requirement for medical businesses and that Commissioners would discuss further changes, including eliminating a residency requirement for patients, with votes planned for December, a public hearing in early 2027 and a final vote in March. Under the April 28, 2026 DEA rule, marijuana subject to a state medical license moved to Schedule III, while every other form, adult-use purchases included, stayed in Schedule I.

Most visitor mistakes are civil citations, not crimes. Consuming in a public place, or smoking where tobacco smoking is banned: up to $100 (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 13(c)). An open container in a vehicle's passenger area: up to $500 (s. 13(d)). Carrying more than 2 but not more than 3 ounces outside the home: up to $100 and forfeiture of the excess (s. 13(e), as amended by St. 2026, c. 65, s. 32). These civil penalties are enforced through the non-criminal disposition procedure in c. 94C, s. 32N (s. 13(g)).

Outside the home, carrying more than 3 ounces falls under c. 94C, s. 34, as amended by c. 65, s. 9: up to six months in a house of correction, a $500 fine, or both, but a first-time offender must be placed on probation unless they decline or the court explains why in writing, and after probation the case is dismissed and the records are sealed. For people 18 to 21, possessing 3 ounces or less is a civil offense with a $100 penalty and forfeiture (c. 94C, s. 32L, as amended by c. 65, s. 7). The online text of both sections had not been updated for Chapter 65 when last archived.

Two other common mistakes are crimes. Furnishing cannabis, cannabis products or accessories to anyone under 21, which includes knowingly allowing them to possess it on property you own or control, carries a fine of up to $2,000, up to one year in jail, or both, with an exception for your own children and grandchildren (c. 94G, s. 13(i)). Driving under the influence of marijuana is OUI: $500 to $5,000, up to two and a half years, or both, plus license revocation (c. 90, s. 24(1)).

Parks and federal land add their own exposure. Breaking DCR rules, the marijuana possession ban included, can bring a citation, a fine, eviction or a ban of up to one year from DCR property (302 CMR 12.20). On federal land, simple possession can be charged under 21 U.S.C. 844, which carries up to a year in prison and a minimum $1,000 fine for a first offense. Anyone under 21 who tries to buy or uses a false ID faces up to $100 and a drug awareness program (c. 94G, s. 13(f)).

Check the store against the Commission's records, and expect hours set by the city or town, not the state. Its Where to Buy tool searches licensed medical dispensaries and adult-use businesses, delivery included, by distance from a ZIP code, and says every one must be licensed by the Commission. For bulk checks, the Open Data catalog's All Licenses file lists each license number, type, stage, status, establishment address and commence-operations date. On the file updated October 6, 2026, 407 Marijuana Retailer licenses were final, active and operating, in 150 cities and towns, 39 of them in Boston.

A licensed store works a certain way. An agent checks ID at the door and again at the register (935 CMR 500.140(2)). Stores may not sell alcohol, tobacco or cannabis products containing nicotine, and may sell only cannabis products, accessories, branded goods and pre-packaged, shelf-stable food and drinks (500.140(3)(d) to (f), (4)(d)). No product may be sold for adult use before an independent testing laboratory has tested it (500.140(7)). Using cannabis on site is legal only in a designated area of a licensed establishment in a town that has opted in (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 13(c)).

Hours are set locally. The state regulations ask applicants to disclose their proposed hours (935 CMR 500.101), and the statute lets cities and towns govern the time, place and manner of store operations (M.G.L. c. 94G, s. 3(a)(1)). In Boston, each store's opening and closing hours are posted on its city license, and the Boston Cannabis Board's rules bar anyone but on-duty staff from the premises outside them (BCB Rules 3.03). The only statewide clocks are for delivery, 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., and for future consumption venues, 7:00 a.m. to midnight.

Boston stores need two licenses. The state license comes from the Commission, and since a 2019 ordinance every adult-use business in the city also needs a local license from the Boston Cannabis Board, which reviews all applicants (City Code 8-13.4, 8-13.5). The city says the same ordinance created the Boston Cannabis Equity Program and the Boston Equity Fund, and the board's page lists licensees and executed host community agreements. A shop that skips the ID check at the door is breaking the Commission's rules, and one that does not appear in the Commission's records is not a licensed retailer.