MA Pot Possession Limit Doubles For 4-20 As Gov. Healey Signs New Bill

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A new Massachusetts law doubling the amount of marijuana possession legal to cultivate and possess in the Bay State was signed into law just in time for the unofficial pot holiday of 4-20.

Gov. Maura Healey signed the law that also makes structural changes to the state Cannabis Control Commission, allows for on-site consumption of marijuana at permitted dispensaries and events, and increases the number of licenses that dispensary owners can own in the state.

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"The cannabis industry is an important part of the Massachusetts economy — supporting jobs and local businesses, and generating revenue for cities and towns," Healey said in a statement on the eve of April 20, well-known in the cannabis community as "4-20 Day." "It's important that we are doing everything we can to make sure this industry is set up for success and that we remain competitive in this fast-growing market."

The new law formalizes new rules that the Commission debated and then passed on the legislature involving on-site consumption at dispensaries.

It also increases the personal-possession maximum for marijuana to two ounces per person.

The restructured CCC will now include three commissioners, appointed by the governor. The CCC will continue to operate as an independent government agency.

Healey said her office has begun the process of identifying new commissioners and will appoint them within the next 30 days.

The law also doubles the retail license limit from three to six per proprietor and eases certain restrictions on medical marijuana operators, such as eliminating the requirement that many medical marijuana businesses grow and process the marijuana they sell.

"This legislation not only makes needed changes to the structure of the Cannabis Control Commission," said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy), "it's also representative of our commitment to ensuring that the cannabis industry in Massachusetts is regulated in a manner that bolsters economic opportunity, especially for communities that were disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of marijuana."

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