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After years of delays, state commission approves final rules for cannabis cafes
Massachusetts businesses will soon be able to acquire "social consumption" licenses, allowing customers to use marijuana at dispensaries, cafes, and more.
The Cannabis Control Commission voted unanimously Thursday to approve final regulations for social consumption licenses, a major step in finally allowing businesses to set up their own marijuana lounges.
The social consumption licenses will allow people to consume marijuana products in a variety of potential settings, from weed cafes to yoga classes and more.
The battle for establishing these types of licenses goes back to 2016, when voters legalized adult-use marijuana in Massachusetts through a ballot measure. That measure also allowed the commission to license social consumption establishments, but the state delayed implementation. State officials scrapped a pilot program in 2023 that would have gradually tested cannabis cafes in a dozen communities.
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Barriers remain, and officials cautioned Thursday that licensees will not be able to immediately host social consumption events just because of this vote.
“There is more work to do: implementation and educating not only our licensees, not only our municipalities, but the public at large. That’s a critical step,” Commissioner Kimberly Roy said during Thursday’s meeting. “But today is a monumental day.”
Individual municipalities will need to approve social consumption, which could include rounds of public feedback sessions, voting on resident petitions, and the adoption of new zoning ordinances.
Somerville, for example, is actively exploring social consumption, and the city has held a number of meetings in recent months on the topic. Commissioner Bruce Stebbins recently met with officials in Gardner to discuss social consumption, he said.
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Following the vote, the commission’s legal team will check the wording of the regulations one last time before submitting them to the secretary of state by Dec. 19. If everything goes according to plan, the new regulations will be officially promulgated on Jan. 2., officials said during the meeting. The commission will also be convening external working groups with stakeholders like public health officials, law enforcement, and vendors.
Under the new regulations, there will be three different social consumption licenses available. One is for existing marijuana establishments like dispensaries that want to add on-site consumption areas to their businesses indefinitely. The second is for new or existing non-cannabis businesses that want to host social consumption events in partnership with dispensaries or other cannabis companies. The third is a temporary license for marijuana establishments to host their own social consumption events.
Twelve states currently allow on-site cannabis use. Massachusetts would be the first in New England.
The broad contours of the regulations were first unveiled last December, and the commission approved a draft of the regulations this past July. The regulations prohibit alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and prepared cannabis-infused foods in social consumption areas, but prepackaged edibles will be allowed. Businesses will be able to sell regular non-cannabis food and drink items that are prepackaged and shelf stable.
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The successful vote comes as the commission itself seeks to regain stability following a series of negative headlines and controversies. Chair Shannon O’Brien, a former state treasurer and Democratic nominee for governor, was suspended in 2023, only a year after being appointed. After another year, State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg fired O’Brien, accusing her of bullying, humiliating, and abusing her colleagues.
This fall, a judge ruled that O’Brien was wrongfully terminated and should be reinstated. Goldberg’s decision to remove O’Brien was based on “a house of cards,” the judge ruled.
This summer, Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s office released the results of an audit of the commission in a scathing report. The Commission delayed enforcement actions and put customers at risk, improperly favored larger marijuana businesses, and exhibited a lack of transparency in employee settlement agreements, the audit found.
On Beacon Hill, lawmakers are showing support for a bill that would shrink the commission and change how it is overseen.
Despite those troubles, commission members struck a tone of optimism Thursday as they imagined the months ahead.
“This is just a beginning, we have a lot to do,” O’Brien said.
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