Cannabis cafes, abortion protections: 6 new laws in MA in 2026 – Worcester Telegram
In 2026, Massachusetts residents will be able to smoke marijuana at ‘cannabis cafes,’ transportation workers will be protected from spit and boaters will need safety certificates.
State lawmakers and agency officials have passed several new laws and regulations that go into effect this year. Some are responses to the Trump administration, while others address safety concerns.
Here’s what to know about six new laws going into effect in 2026.
In December, the Cannabis Control Commission approved the creation of new licenses that will allow people to purchase and use marijuana on-site at cannabis cafes or lounges, like buying alcohol in a bar.
The change will also allow the hosting of temporary cannabis-infused events.
Allowing on-site consumption was originally considered in 2016, and some provisions were put into the initial law to pave the way for it. However, the state first focused on the retail rollout and only now circled back to social consumption.
The new regulations went into effect Jan. 2, but it could take over a year until actual cannabis cafes open in Massachusetts.
In response to Republican attacks on abortion, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey signed an expanded shield law in August that attempts to protect the procedure and those that provide it, as well as transgender care.
The new law protects the identities and personal information of those receiving or providing abortion or gender affirming care, and codifies a state requirement for abortion care to be provided in emergencies when medically necessary.
It also blocks courts from considering cases of abuse, neglect or maltreatments for parents who support their children in receiving transgender care.
The law went into effect Jan. 1.
The Hanson-Milone Boater Safety Act, signed in January of 2025 but going into effect April 1, 2026, will require everyone who is eligible to operate motorized boats to obtain certification by completing an approved safety course and passing a test before hitting the water.
Those born after Jan. 1, 1989, will need to complete a course and earn a safety certificate by April 1, 2026, though penalties for non-compliance will not be assessed until Sept. 1, 2026.
Boaters born on or before Jan. 1, 1989 will have until April 1, 2028 to get certified.
Under a new bill signed by Gov. Maura Healey on Dec. 3, transit workers in Massachusetts will have expanded protections against assault and battery.
The law adds transit workers to the list of public employees currently protected against assault and battery, broadens the definition of assault and battery to include the projection of a “bodily substance,” which includes saliva, semen, urine or feces, and heightens the penalties for offenders.
After the law goes into effect on March 3, any perpetrator of an assault or battery of a public employee will face imprisonment of 90 days to 2.5 years, a fine of $500 to $5,000 or both.
Treatments for Down syndrome will now be covered by Massachusetts health insurers after a 2024-passed law took effect on Jan. 1.
Insurers will now be required to cover treatment like “speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy and applied behavior analysis services.”
Over two years after being signed into law, state agencies in Massachusetts that already collect data on race and ethnicity will now have to capture more detailed information.
For example, agencies will have to separately collect and tabulate data on Chinese, Japanese, Filipino, Bangladeshi or Tibetan residents, rather than including them all under Asian Americans. The same goes for other ethnicities: instead of grouping together all residents who identify as Black, agencies will need to collect data on groups like Jamaican, Haitian, Nigerian or Cape Verdean residents.
Each individual will be allowed to choose more than one group, write in their own group or choose the aggregate category.
The law went into effect on Jan. 1.
Contributing: Heather McCarron