Massachusetts Closer to Allowing Cannabis Cafes

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]M[/dropcap]assachusetts’ Cannabis Advisory Board is getting closer to licensing “cannabis cafes” where individuals would be allowed to consume cannabis in a social setting. An independent panel of cannabis advisors made recommendations that must still be approved by the Cannabis Control Commission. The panel also recommended allowing for the home delivery of cannabis.

When Massachusetts residents voted to legalize cannabis in 2016, many supporters wanted to make sure individuals who live in apartments or other shared housing could still have a place to consume cannabis legally. Republican Gov.Charlie Baker and law enforcement officials have voiced concerns about cannabis cafes, saying they pose a risk to public safety and public health.

“In light of the need for cannabis consumers who live in public housing to have a legal place to exercise their right to smoke cannabis, and in light of the historic racial disparity in cannabis law enforcement in Massachusetts, social use establishments should be permitted so that consumers have a legal place to consume cannabis outside of their own homes,” the subcommittee said in one of its recommendations.

The panel also recommended requiring low-THC products be available to avoid accidental over-consumption and that cafes offer educational materials warning of the hazards of over-consumption and information for pregnant women and nursing mothers. The panel also recommended that no one under the age of 21 should be allowed in cannabis cafes, and that temporary licenses should be allowed for events where cannabis will be sold or consumed, similar to temporary liquor licenses.

Massachusetts was close to allowing cannabis cafes when the state initially legalized cannabis in 2017, however, the commission delayed issuing licenses for cannabis cafes and home delivery after Gov. Baker and other officials expressed reservations. If approved, Massachusetts would be among the first states to allow social cannabis consumption at designated establishments. In December of last year, Alaska became the first state to establish rules for social cannabis cafes.