Massachusetts cannabis laws are getting an upgrade.
The House on April 8 voted unanimously to accept compromise legislation that would reform the state’s cannabis industry, including doubling the amount of cannabis an adult can buy or possess.
The vote of 155-0 comes after legislators announced on April 6 that they had come to a deal after the House and Senate passed differing bills related to modernizing the state’s cannabis laws in 2025.
The agreement “charts a more promising path forward for cannabis regulation in our Commonwealth,” said Sen. Adam Gómez, D-Springfield, and Rep. Daniel M. Donahue, D-Worcester, in a statement.
The bill, which would implement some of the largest reforms on the cannabis industry in Massachusetts since dispensaries opened in 2018, is also expected to pass the Senate this week. It would then go to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk.
The bill, H.5350, takes a wide range of actions, from increasing possession limits to “streamlining” the agency that regulates the industry.
Gómez and Donahue said that the bill “creates new opportunities for small businesses to grow, while providing those historically harmed by marijuana laws with temporary, exclusive access to those opportunities.”
Here are some of the changes:
There are several other changes too: the bill would open the door to allowing retailers to advertise sales or discounts and directs the CCC to study regulations on hemp and cannabinoids, along with other measures.
The bill comes as the state is considering other cannabis-related actions.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee is proposing spending $1 million on a public education campaign about the risks of cannabis, according to WCVB 5, and a ballot proposal would roll back cannabis legalization in the state.