Massachusetts to Double Recreational Cannabis Possession Limit

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has signed legislation (HB 5350) into law, raising marijuana possession limits for adults and making several other policy changes.

Specifically, the bill doubles the amount of cannabis (from one ounce to two ounces) that adults may legally purchase, possess in public, and gift to one another. The new law also establishes rules for businesses seeking to allow for on-site consumption, eases vertical integration restrictions for medical cannabis businesses, and restructures the state’s cannabis commission, among other changes. It also decriminalizes the possession of three ounces of cannabis (up from two ounces) for those under the age of 21.

“The cannabis industry is an important part of the Massachusetts economy – supporting jobs and local businesses and generating revenue for cities and towns,” Healey said in a statement. “It’s important that we are doing everything we can to make sure this industry is set up for success and that we remain competitive in this fast-growing market.”

Massachusetts voters approved a statewide ballot initiative in 2016 regulating the adult-use marijuana market. Prohibitionist groups are seeking to overturn much of the law with a proposed 2026 initiative, ‘An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy.’ That measure is now being legally challenged. Recent statewide polling finds that 63 percent of Massachusetts’ voters, including strong majorities of Democrats (74 percent) and Independents (69 percent), oppose the repeal question.