Is Weed Legal in Massachusetts? (2026)

Instrument

Personal use of marijuana; penalties

Source

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXV/Chapter94G/Section7

Retrieved

2026-11-07

Fingerprint

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G.L. c. 94G, Sec. 7

Section 7. Personal use of marijuana
(a) Notwithstanding any other general or special law to the contrary, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person 21 years of age or older shall not be arrested, prosecuted, penalized, sanctioned or disqualified under the laws of the commonwealth in any manner, or denied any right or privilege and shall not be subject to seizure or forfeiture of assets for:
(1) possessing, using, purchasing, processing or manufacturing 2 ounces or less of marijuana or the equivalent amount of marijuana products as determined by the commission.
(2) within the person’s primary residence, possessing up to 10 ounces of marijuana and any marijuana produced by marijuana plants cultivated on the premises and possessing, cultivating or processing not more than 6 marijuana plants for personal use so long as not more than 12 plants are cultivated on the premises at once;
(3) assisting another person who is 21 years of age or older in any of the acts described in this section;  or
(4) giving away or otherwise transferring without remuneration up to 2 ounces of marijuana or the equivalent amount of marijuana products as determined by the commission to a person 21 years of age or older;  provided, however, that such transfer shall not be advertised or otherwise promoted to the public.
(b) Notwithstanding any other general or special law to the contrary, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, if the import or export of marijuana to or from the commonwealth is not prohibited by federal law, a person 21 years of age or older shall not be arrested, prosecuted, penalized, sanctioned or disqualified under the laws of the commonwealth in any manner, or denied any right or privilege and shall not be subject to seizure or forfeiture of assets for possessing, using, purchasing, cultivating, processing or manufacturing any amount of marijuana or marijuana products for personal use.
(c) Notwithstanding any other general or special law to the contrary, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person shall not be arrested, prosecuted, penalized, sanctioned or otherwise denied any benefit and shall not be subject to seizure or forfeiture of assets for allowing property the person owns, occupies or manages to be used for any of the activities conducted lawfully under this chapter or for enrolling or employing a person who engages in marijuana-related activities lawfully under this chapter.
(d) Absent clear, convincing and articulable evidence that the person’s actions related to marijuana have created an unreasonable danger to the safety of a minor child, neither the presence of cannabinoid components or metabolites in a person’s bodily fluids nor conduct permitted under this chapter related to the possession, consumption, transfer, cultivation, manufacture or sale of marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories by a person charged with the well-being of a child shall form the sole or primary basis for substantiation, service plans, removal or termination or for denial of custody, visitation or any other parental right or responsibility.
(e) The use of marijuana shall not disqualify a person from any needed medical procedure or treatment, including organ and tissue transplants.
(f) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, except as otherwise provided in this chapter, a person 21 years of age or older shall not be arrested, prosecuted, penalized, sanctioned or disqualified and is not subject to seizure or forfeiture of assets for possessing, producing, processing, manufacturing, purchasing, obtaining, selling or otherwise transferring or delivering hemp.
(g) For the purposes of this section, "marijuana concentrate'' shall mean the resin extracted from any part of the plant of the genus Cannabis and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of that resin but shall not include the weight of any other ingredient combined with marijuana to prepare marijuana products.

G.L. c. 94G, Sec. 13

Section 13. Penalties
(a) Restrictions on personal cultivation.  No person shall cultivate or process marijuana plants pursuant to section 8 of this chapter if the plants are visible from a public place without the use of binoculars, aircraft or other optical aids or cultivate or process marijuana plants outside of an area that is equipped with a lock or other security device.  A person who violates this subsection shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $300 and forfeiture of the marijuana, but shall not be subject to any other form of criminal or civil punishment or disqualification solely for this conduct.
(b) Restrictions on personal possession.  No person shall possess more than 2 ounce of marijuana or marijuana products within the person’s place of residence pursuant to section 8 of this chapter unless the marijuana and marijuana products are secured by a lock.  A person who violates this subsection shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $100 and forfeiture of the marijuana.
(c) Restrictions on public consumption of marijuana.  No person shall consume marijuana in a public place or smoke marijuana where smoking tobacco is prohibited.  A person who violates this subsection shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $100.  This subsection shall not apply to a person who consumes marijuana or marijuana products in a designated area of a marijuana establishment located in a city or town that has voted to allow consumption on the premises where sold and shall not be construed to limit the medical use of marijuana.
(d) Possession of marijuana in motor vehicles.  No person shall, upon any way or in any place to which the public has a right of access, or upon any way or in any place to which members of the public have access as invitees or licensees, possess an open container of marijuana or marijuana products in the passenger area of any motor vehicle.  A person who violates this subjection shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $500.  For purposes of this section, "open container'' shall mean that the package containing marijuana or marijuana products has its seal broken or from which the contents have been partially removed or consumed and "passenger area'' shall mean the area designed to seat the driver and passengers while the motor vehicle is in operation and any area that is readily accessible to the driver or passenger while in a seated position;  provided however that the passenger area shall not include a motor vehicle’s trunk, locked glove compartment or the living quarters of a house coach or house trailer, or if a motor vehicle is not equipped with a trunk, the area behind the last upright seat or an area not normally occupied by the driver or passenger.
(e) Possession or cultivation of excess marijuana.  Notwithstanding chapter 94C of the General Laws and until the import or export of marijuana to or from the commonwealth is not prohibited by federal law, a person who is at least 21 years of age and who cultivates more than 6 but not more than 12 marijuana plants or who possesses an amount of marijuana outside of his or her place of residence having a weight of more than 2 ounces but not more than 3 ounces shall be subject only to a civil penalty of not more than $100 and forfeiture of the marijuana not allowed by section 8 of this chapter, but shall not be subject to any other form of criminal or civil punishment or disqualification solely for this conduct.
(f) Procurement of marijuana by a person under 21 years of age.  A person under 21 years of age, except a qualifying patient holding a valid registration card for the medical use of marijuana, who purchases or attempts to purchase marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories, or makes arrangements with any person to purchase or in any way procure marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories, or who willfully misrepresents such person’s age, or in any way alters, defaces or otherwise falsifies identification offered as proof of age, with the intent of purchasing marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories, shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $100 and shall complete a drug awareness program established pursuant to section 32M of chapter 94C of the General Laws.  The parents or legal guardian of any offender under the age of 18 shall be notified in accordance with section 32N of chapter 94C of the General Laws and the failure within 1 year of the offense of such an offender to complete a drug awareness program may be a basis for delinquency proceedings for persons under the age of 17 at the time of the person’s offense.
(g) Enforcement.  Civil penalties imposed pursuant to this section shall be enforced by utilizing the non-criminal disposition procedures provided in section 32N of chapter 94C of the General Laws.
(h) Notwithstanding chapter 94C, a person less than 21 years of age, except a qualifying patient holding a valid registration card for the medical use of marijuana, who cultivates not more than 12 marijuana plants shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $100 and shall complete a drug awareness program established pursuant to section 32M of chapter 94C.  If that person is less than 18 years of age, the parent or legal guardian of that person shall be notified in accordance with section 32N of said chapter 94C.  If a person is less than 17 years of age at the time of the offense and fails to complete a drug awareness program not later than 1 year after the offense, that person may be subject to delinquency proceedings.
(i) Whoever furnishes marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories to a person less than 21 years of age, either for the person’s own use or for the use of the person’s parent or another person shall be punished by a fine of not more than $2,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or both such fine and imprisonment.
For the purposes of this subsection, "furnish'' shall mean to knowingly or intentionally supply, give or provide to or allow a person less than 21 years of age, except for the children and grandchildren of the person being charged, to possess marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories on premises or property owned or controlled by the person charged.
This subsection shall not apply to the sale, delivery or furnishing of medical marijuana pursuant to chapter 94I.

Instrument

Definitions -- 'Controlled substance analogue' (and related 'Controlled substance', 'Tetrahydrocannabinol', and 'Marihuana' definitions)

Source

https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXV/Chapter94C/Section1

Retrieved

2026-07-02

Fingerprint

9a0f4c5c022d2a01

Section 1. As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

“Controlled substance”, a drug, substance, controlled substance analogue or immediate precursor in any schedule or class referred to in this chapter.

"Controlled substance analogue", (i) a drug or substance with a chemical structure substantially similar to the chemical structure of a controlled substance in Class A, B, C, D or E, listed in section 31 and which has a stimulant, depressant or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system that is substantially similar to or greater than the stimulant, depressant or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system of a controlled substance in Class A, B, C, D or E, listed in said section 31; or (ii) a drug or substance with a chemical structure substantially similar to the chemical structure of a controlled substance in Class A, B, C, D or E, listed in said section 31 and with respect to a particular person, which such person represents or intends to have a stimulant, depressant or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system that is substantially similar to or greater than the stimulant, depressant or hallucinogenic effect on the central nervous system of a controlled substance in Class A, B, C, D or E, listed in said section 31; provided, however, that "controlled substance analogue" shall not include: (1) a controlled substance; (2) any substance for which there is an approved new drug application; (3) with respect to a particular person, any substance for which there is an exception in effect for investigational use for that person, under section 8, to the extent conduct with respect to the substance is pursuant to such exemption; or (4) any substance not intended for human consumption before such an exemption takes effect with respect to that substance; provided, however, that for the purposes of this chapter, a "controlled substance analogue" shall be treated as the Class A, B, C, D or E substance of which it is a controlled substance analogue.

"Marihuana", all parts of the plant Cannabis sativa L., whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; and resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the plant, its seeds or resin. It does not include the mature stalks of the plant, industrial hemp as defined in section 116 of chapter 128, fiber produced from the stalks, oil, or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture, or preparation of the mature stalks, except the resin extracted therefrom, fiber, oil, or cake or the sterilized seed of the plant which is incapable of germination.

"Tetrahydrocannabinol", tetrahydrocannabinol or preparations containing tetrahydrocannabinol excluding marihuana except when it has been established that the concentration of delta-9 tetrahydrocannabinol in said marihuana exceeds two and one-half per cent.