Massachusetts Marijuana Officials Say Social Consumption Plan Will Position State As East Coast Industry Leader (Op-Ed)

“Massachusetts is ready to reach the next frontier in regulated cannabis. On-site social consumption is no longer novel but represents the natural progression of our safely regulated industry.”

By Nurys Camargo and Bruce Stebbins, Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission

Massachusetts made history in 2018 when the first legal cannabis retailers on the East Coast opened. We are about to lead the way again as the Cannabis Control Commission takes up on-site social consumption regulatory reforms, which seek to expand an industry now facing cross-border competition, prioritize the success of small, equity-owned businesses and ensure our state remains an attractive destination for consumers near and far.

But first, let’s review how we got here. Bay Staters approved on-site social consumption in the 2016 ballot question that legalized adult-use cannabis, a vision that was then cemented in state law in 2017. The inaugural commission incorporated social consumption licenses in the first version of regulations to guardrail the legal industry but swiftly struck them based on feedback from officials and lawmakers who voiced concerns about public health and safety.

Fast forward to 2019: The commission created a pilot program that would offer potential businesses the opportunity to open in 12 cities and towns. However, a gap in state law prevented cities and towns from opting in to hosting social consumption establishments until Chapter 180 of the acts of 2022 was signed into law.

That next spring, commissioners voted to remove the pilot program and build more comprehensive and workable regulations for Massachusetts based on the experiences of the handful of states that went first and the needs of eligible participants here, including small, local growers and product manufacturers as well as those businesses owned by individuals from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by previous marijuana prohibition.

After many months of listening sessions, cross-county visits, interdepartmental meetings with government partners and presentations to subject matter experts such as the Cannabis Advisory Board, we’re proposing three license types to appeal to a range of cannabis consumers, and with small- and equity-owned entrepreneurs in mind. An initial commission presentation of this new regulatory framework on December 5 laid out three specific visions of what these business models may eventually look like.

If you’ve ever been to a brewery, you may have sampled beer poured straight from stainless steel brewing tanks on-site. The “supplemental” social consumption license type would do the same for cannabis, allowing consumers the chance to visit a grow facility and sample different strains that have been trimmed right on location. Picture a patio at an outdoor cultivator within sight of towering marijuana plants.

Other reforms under consideration offer opportunities for existing cannabis businesses that would license them to host activities in partnership with non-cannabis businesses. The possibilities here are vast and offer a bridge between cannabis and traditional industries like live entertainment, restaurants and wedding planning. A fine dining restaurant, for example, may want to experiment with events featuring testable foods that are marijuana-infused products. The chef could bring in an “event organizer” licensee to do exactly that.

A “hospitality” license would allow non-cannabis businesses to add spaces to new or existing facilities for regulated on-site cannabis consumption. Picture a previously existing yoga studio with classes offering edibles or topicals for purchase, or a local hotel with an embedded cannabis lounge. It is important to note that this license would not allow licensees to offer both alcohol and cannabis consumption within the space.

The commission has been criticized for being slow to act on social consumption, but we needed the tools allowed by Chapter 180 to build this license right and make it possible for businesses to succeed. We wanted to build regulations based on best practices from across the country and by talking with industry stakeholders and the broader business and public health and safety communities.

Whereas regulated social consumption is still emerging in many states, our peers in government, those who wish to open on-site social consumption establishments and eager adult consumers look to us to ensure these regulations will work for Massachusetts and balance the need to be accessible, innovative and safe.

Massachusetts is ready to reach the next frontier in regulated cannabis. On-site social consumption is no longer novel but represents the natural progression of our safely regulated industry. These licenses aim to reduce lingering stigma around adult consumption in social settings, create alternatives to illegal consumption in public and open additional pathways for still-unregulated operators to take part in in our $7 billion industry for the first time.

The commission has opened a public comment period to receive feedback on the Working Group’s initial proposed draft regulations. This preliminary comment period is now underway until January 23, 2025, and the agency will continue moving this effort towards the finish line.

As soon as 2025, Massachusetts could be the first state east of the Mississippi to have active social consumption, breaking new ground for our local businesses, and offering a safe, equitable and accepted activity as voters envisioned.

Commissioner Nurys Camargo and Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins were appointed by the governor, treasurer and attorney general to the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission for their social justice and regulated industries expertise, respectively, in 2021.

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