Massachusetts approves new marijuana delivery rules, as dispensaries threaten lawsuit

Massachusetts marijuana regulators approved final regulations Monday that pave the way for a new type of business to deliver adult-use cannabis to residents’ homes.

But not if the state’s existing marijuana dispensaries have their say on the matter.

“This will not be the final word on delivery,” the Commonwealth Dispensary Association said in a statement Monday, indicating plans to challenge the regulatory changes in court.

The slate of rules changes, which the state’s Cannabis Control Commission approved by a vote of 3-to-1 during a virtually held meeting Monday, include a new license for standalone marijuana delivery companies with their own warehouse of products.

Under the state’s previous rules, the only adult-use marijuana delivery ostensibly allowed was for third-party operators to transport purchases from established dispensaries — basically following the model of food delivery platforms, but with far more restrictions.

The original license, which was approved a year ago, was created in part to foster more diversity and inclusion in the two-year-old, corporate-heavy recreational marijuana market in Massachusetts, since such a delivery business would require fewer upfront costs than a full-fledged brick-and-mortar store. But it was soon met with complaints from entrepreneurs that the delivery fees they could charge still weren’t worth the cost. [Read more at Boston.com]