Governor signs Cannabis Control Commission reform bill into law

On April 19, Gov. Maura Healey signed a bill to reduce the size of the Cannabis Control Commission, the state agency that implements and administers the laws enabling access to medical and adult-use marijuana in Massachusetts.

The new law would reduce the size of the CCC from five members to three, all of whom would be appointed by the governor. The law (H. 5350) had an emergency preamble, meaning it takes effect immediately. With her signature, the governor now has until May 19 to appoint the three commissioners.

The CCC’s executive director would stay until the new CCC chair appoints a new director. The bill specified that the executive director would report to the chair of the commission.

The law includes a provision to automatically allow delivery of cannabis to all municipalities. Communities that currently don’t allow retail sales and don’t want to allow delivery of cannabis would need to opt out. This new provision also goes into effect immediately, so interested municipalities should consult the CCC’s bulletin from April 19 on next steps.

The new law also would raise the cap on licenses that can be held by a licensee, from three to six, and raise the percentage of equity a person may hold in a cannabis business — from 10% to 20% — before it is considered ownership for purposes of the license cap.

The final version of law didn’t include regulations initially under consideration around hemp-derived products, but did direct the CCC to study the issue and make recommendations.

The law increases the amount of cannabis a person can purchase and possess for recreational use from 1 ounce to 2 ounces. It also removes the vertical integration requirement for medical marijuana, meaning that medical marijuana licensees would no longer be required to grow and process the marijuana they sell.

Finally, the new law directs the CCC to study the effects of the current marijuana excise tax on business and consumers.