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Marijuana lounges and cannabis-friendly yoga studios could become reality in Massachusetts under new rules unveiled last week by state regulators.
The Cannabis Control Commission presented three new license types that could take effect by mid-2025:
Supplemental licenses for existing cannabis businesses to add consumption spaces.
Hospitality licenses for stand-alone venues.
Event organizer permits for temporary gatherings.
“Social consumption is really still in its infancy,” Acting Chair Bruce Stebbins told attendees at a Dec. 5 public meeting in Worcester. “This framework and the accompanying regulations represent our exhaustive and thoughtful work.”
The rules require operators to also provide food and to have transportation plans in place for impaired customers. Venues must also stop cannabis sales 30 minutes before closing. Alcohol and tobacco products will be banned at the locations.
The commission will also create a specialized responsible vendor training program focused on recognizing customer impairment and implementing “cool down strategies” for adverse reactions, according to officials.
Medical marijuana patients will have special accommodations under the proposed rules, including the ability to bring their own products or have them delivered to consumption sites, though regulators acknowledged these details still need refinement.
Source: Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission
Cities and towns must opt in through local ordinance changes or voter referendums. Boston, Cambridge and six other municipalities have expressed early interest, according to commission documents.
The plan reserves licenses exclusively for social equity businesses for five years after the first facility opens, extending the current three-year window. Massachusetts recently established a $25 million fund to help disadvantaged entrepreneurs enter the cannabis industry.
“These folks are going to want to do businesses in your town,” Commissioner Nurys Camargo told municipal officials at the meeting. “We’re going to do our part. Y’all gotta do your part and think.”
The commission developed the framework after consulting with regulators in California, Colorado and six other states, holding public listening sessions across Massachusetts, meeting with law enforcement, health officials and cannabis businesses, and visiting existing consumption establishments. Detailed draft regulations will be presented Dec. 17, followed by a public comment period. The commission aims to finalize rules allowing the first facilities to open by mid-2025.
Event organizers could host up to 24 cannabis consumption events annually, with each lasting up to five days. The commission will also create working groups focused on public education, vendor training, municipal guidance and technical assistance to support implementation.
“We think from what we’ve heard from some of you in this room, what we have heard from our listening sessions, is that there are folks who are looking for more innovative opportunity,” Stebbins said.
Massachusetts voters approved adult-use cannabis in 2016. The state’s dispensaries have generated more than $6 billion in sales since opening in 2018. The proposed expansion follows similar moves in other states. However, even mature markets like California continue adjusting their approach to social consumption venues, regulators noted.
Commissioner Kimberly Roy stressed public safety considerations.
“I’m willing to entertain and listen to any idea as long as it doesn’t jeopardize public health and safety,” she said. “I see economic opportunity. I see more jobs.”
The social consumption announcement comes shortly after the commission approved other big industry reforms. In October, regulators unanimously passed new rules expanding delivery services, testing protocols, and medical marijuana access, which took effect Nov. 22, according to the commission.
Stebbins indicated at that time that social consumption would be the “next major step forward for the industry,” with the Dec. 5 framework presentation representing that promised advancement.
“}]] [[{“value”:”The commission will accept informal public comments through mid-January.
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