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Massachusetts Bill To Double Marijuana Possession Limit And Revise Regulatory Framework Heads To Conference Committee

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5 months ago

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Massachusetts lawmakers have convened a bicameral conference committee to hammer out a deal bill that would double the legal limit for possession of marijuana for adults and reviewing the regulatory framework for the state’s adult cannabis market.

After the Senate passed an amended version of the legislation in November, the House pushed back against the changes. Now appointed lawmakers will meet to iron out differences between the chambers’ approaches and potentially send the House bill to the governor’s desk.

Among the revisions to the state’s cannabis law is a section that would increase the personal possession limit of marijuana from one ounce to two. Colorado enacted the same reform in 2021 after the state’s cannabis market matured.

Sen. Adam Gómez (D), said before the Senate vote that the increased ownership limit and other changes proposed in the bill would “modernize” the state’s cannabis laws.

Gómez and Rep. Daniel Donahue (D), chairman of the Joint Cannabis Policy Committee, will serve as lead negotiators for the newly formed conference committee to act on the marijuana bill.

Other congressmen include Sens. Joanne Comerford (D) and Peter Durant (R), as well as Reps. Carlos Gonzalez (D) and Michael Soter (R).

“When Massachusetts voters approved adult cannabis use, we made a commitment not just to legalize it, but to build a safe, fair and well-regulated industry,” Gómez said in November. “Seven years later, we have made great progress, but the landscape has changed and our laws must reflect what it is.”

In addition to expanding ownership, which is included in both chambers’ versions, the bill would reduce the size and revise the organization of the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), updating the limits on marijuana business licenses.

In both versions, the CCC would consist of three members instead of the current five. The Senate bill would appoint two directly by the governor and one by the attorney general. The House proposed that the governor make all appointments. In both cases, the state treasurer would not be responsible for appointing committee members.

The Senate-passed legislation includes a reciprocity section that allows out-of-state medical marijuana patients to purchase cannabis products from Massachusetts dispensaries.

Gómez said the version of invoice The one passed by the Senate would “remove outdated requirements that force medical operations to vertically integrate.”

He argued that the state is “reinforcing” its commitment to a fair cannabis industry by, among other things, “supporting worker ownership models and guiding the commission to develop fair and transparent host community agreements.”

The Senate-passed legislation also directs the CCC to study the mental health impacts and long-term outcomes of marijuana use.

“This legislation is not about starting over. It is about building on what we have learned,” said Gómez. “It’s about making sure our laws keep pace with a growing industry while protecting consumers, helping small businesses and advancing equity.”

Senators approved several changes to the House bill in November, including requiring the CCC to conduct studies on marijuana demand and supply, excise tax rates and regulation of hemp-derived cannabinoids.

Other approved amendments direct regulators to update cannabis testing protocols annually and clarify “advertising, marketing and branding of sales, discounts and customer loyalty programs at a marijuana establishment or through an opt-in email list.”

After the Senate passed the revised bill, the House opposed the changes, bringing in conference committee appointments.

Meanwhile, in November, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy advanced a bill that would have required a study. legal barriers facing first responders who want to use marijuana in compliance with state law.

Regulators should also examine marijuana’s effectiveness in the treatment of anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, police and first responders in other jurisdictions will review laws and policies regarding the use of cannabis and “any other matter deemed relevant by the commission.”

The bill was reported when lawmakers in another committee passed separate legislation employment protection for people who use marijuana. Another panel advanced a A similar job protection bill by Rep. Michael Kushmer (D). in September

Against the backdrop of that legislative effort, Massachusetts officials recently announced a campaign behind it An initiative to roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law has collected enough valid signatures to send the measure to members of parliament, before it goes to the voters to decide this year’s vote.

The campaign already had it He expressed confidence that he has obtained enough signatures to move forward. Members of Parliament will receive the proposal on January 7 at the beginning of the 2026 session, and they have until May 5 to act on it. If the Legislature decides not to pass it, the campaign would have to go through another round of petitions and get at least 12,429 certified signatures by July 1 to get on the November ballot.

Controversy has arisen over the prohibitionist coalition’s signature-gathering tactics, with petitioners working on behalf of the campaign allegedly sharing misleading information about what the measure would accomplish, paid petitioners using fake letters for other ballot measures on issues such as affordable housing and same-day voter registration.

The The state attorney general has confirmed that he has received complaints for that And in November, a state association of marijuana companies asked voters to report it to local officials if they observe it Instances of “spoof mail” or other fraudulent solicitation tactics. The campaign has denied the allegations.

The office of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell (D), that is He cleared the signature collection campaign in September—stressed to voters the importance of reading their summary, which should go at the top of the signature form, before signing any petition.

The head of Massachusetts’ marijuana regulatory agency recently suggested measures to effectively recriminalize the sale of recreational cannabis. dangerous tax revenues being used to support substance abuse treatment efforts and other public programs.

Whether the cannabis measures make the cut remains to be seen. Voters approved legalization on the 2016 ballot, and sales began two years later. And in the last decade the market has evolved and expanded. In August, Massachusetts officials reported more than $8 billion in adult marijuana sales.

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Meanwhile, last month, state regulators established rules for social marijuana consumption halls.

Separately, the State Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) has recently launched a targeted online platform helping people find work, on-the-job training and networking opportunities in the state’s legal cannabis industry.

State legislators have also been pondering imposing stricter restrictions on intoxicating hemp-derived products and a plan allowing individual entities to control a greater number of cannabis establishments.

Also in Massachusetts Legislators working on state budgets butted heads with CCC officialswho said critical technology improvements can’t be made without more money from the legislature.

Massachusetts lawmakers also passed a bill establishing a pilot program for the regulated therapeutic use of psychedelics. And two committees Hearings to discuss additional measures related to psilocybin were held separately.

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Health Canada opens consultations to deregulate hemp

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21 hours ago

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May 19, 2026

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Health Canada has published a Notice of Intent to “simplify” the Industrial Hemp Regulation to “eliminate or reduce regulatory burden,” which could include removing the licensing requirement for certain industrial hemp activities, and is asking the industry what changes it wants to see before June 30, 2026.

The announcement acknowledges that “industry stakeholders have advocated for a new approach to regulating industrial hemp that treats it as an agricultural product” and that although industrial hemp and cannabis belong to the same plant family, “the productions and products resulting from the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp are completely different and pose very different risks.” CBD is “non-intoxicating,” the release states, and hemp “has less potential for public health harm and misuse and less public safety concerns compared to cannabis due to its extremely low THC levels.”

© Colin Temple | Dreamstime

Under the current framework, industrial hemp is listed in Schedule 1 of the Cannabis Act along with high-THC cannabis, even if it contains 0.3% THC or less by weight in the flower heads and leaves. To cultivate, sell, import or export seeds or grains, clean seeds, process grains or grow hemp, operators need a separate license for each activity, plus a separate permit for each import or export shipment. Anyone licensed to cultivate the seeds must test the flower heads and leaves for THC concentration, and all cultivated varieties must appear on Health Canada’s List of Approved Crops. Imported seeds also require phytosanitary certification according to CFIA frameworks. Mature stems, non-viable seeds and their derivatives are already out of the field, sitting on tab 2.

The review calls for eliminating or reducing licensing requirements, removing the separate layer of import/export permits, cutting reporting obligations, revamping the List of Approved Crops, reducing or eliminating THC testing requirements and potentially changing the 0.3% THC definition itself. That said, Health Canada is clear that some controls are being left out, specifically to “prevent the illegal cultivation and diversion of cannabis disguised as industrial hemp into an illegal market,” and that international reporting obligations remain an “important consideration.” Extracting CBD from flower heads is also out of scope, as this requires a cannabis processing license under the Cannabis Regulations.

A separate cost-benefit questionnaire goes directly to current IHR licensees, and the responses feed into the regulatory Impact Analysis Statement required by Health Canada before any proposed amendment reaches the Canada Gazette.

Source: magazine.gc.ca

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Cannabis Advocacy Groups Push Congress For Legalization And Other Reforms Following Trump’s Rescheduling Move

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21 hours ago

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May 19, 2026

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“Cannabis reform is the hottest topic in American politics, and … Congress is on course to pass a comprehensive legalization bill that targets the release of cannabis prisoners.”

Author: Jack Gorsline, Filter

A national coalition 41 advocacy groups gathered on Capitol Hill for Cannabis Unity WeekA coordinated lobbying blitz pressed a deadlocked Congress to act on federal marijuana deprogramming, criminal law reform, and fair access.

The May 12-14 mobilization brought together unions, veterans, civil liberties advocates, legal experts, industry executives and individuals directly affected by three main demands: federal cannabis legalization, the release of federal cannabis prisoners, and the expungement of civil rights restoration records. The coalition spent three days navigating the halls of both houses of Congress to introduce a comprehensive package of 13 hemp and cannabis reform bills.

The legislative push comes at a critical time. The vast majority of states have legalized medical or adult use of cannabis in some form, and although the Trump administration rescheduled state legal medical marijuana last month, federal law otherwise continues to classify the plant as a Schedule I controlled substance, creating a legal and economic paradox that advocates say can no longer be ignored.

The coalition’s main thrust is the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Elimination (MORE) Act, introduced as HR 5068. If passed, the MORE Act would completely remove cannabis from the Controlled Substances Act, ending nearly a century of federal prohibition.

The bill’s provisions go beyond simple deprogramming. It aims to eliminate all federal penalties for marijuana activity, establish clear pathways to expungement and reentry, and create community reinvestment with federal cannabis tax revenue. The bill also includes equity measures designed to lower barriers to entry for small and independent businesses trying to navigate the highly capitalized legal market.

“Cannabis reform is a hot topic in American politics, and now that the president has indicated he’s open to reform, it’s up to Congress to pass a comprehensive legislative bill that targets the release of cannabis prisoners who no longer need to be incarcerated,” Jason Ortiz, director of strategic initiatives at the Last Prisoner Project and Co-founder of the Latino Cannabis Alliancehe said The filter.

Ortiz emphasized that the administrative gesture must be supported by specific legislative moves. “The LPP is ready to work with the co-chairs of the Cannabis Caucus and the Cannabis Unity Coalition to pass a comprehensive deprogramming bill like the MORE Act,” he continued, “to finally end the nightmare that has been cannabis prohibition, and create a pathway for all those incarcerated for cannabis offenses to reunify their families and become full members of society.”

A central theme of Unity Week was the disproportionate impact of federal prohibition on minority communities, particularly Latinos. At a May 13 news conference outside the Senate wing of the Capitol, advocates drew a direct line from the anti-immigrant rhetoric of the early 20th century to today’s deportation statistics.

“Buenos dias. My name is Jessica Gonzalez. I’m an Ecuadorian immigrant, attorney, and president of the Latino Cannabis Alliance, a national coalition of Latino advocates, lawyers, organizers, researchers, and storytellers fighting to move our communities from the margins of cannabis politics to the center,” Gonzalez told reporters and lawmakers. “We’re Harry Anslinger’s worst nightmare.”

Anslinger, the first commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, weaponized prejudice against Latinos and blacks in the 1930s to secure the initial federal crackdown on cannabis. Gonzalez noted that the structural machinery built at that time continues to operate with remarkable efficiency.

“We’re here because Latinos are the largest immigrant group in the country, and the cannabis industry benefits enormously from Latino consumers and workers because they remain silent on the same policies that make participation by non-citizen Latinos dangerous,” Gonzalez said. “That’s a contradiction we’re here to say out loud. And here’s a number we don’t hear often enough: 70 percent. More than 70 percent of people convicted federally of cannabis possession are classified as Hispanic. That’s not a coincidence, it’s the result of a system that has merged cannabis prohibition and immigration enforcement into a deportation pathway and targeted our families.”

For noncitizens, as well as legal residents, federal convictions or possession of cannabis can result in mandatory deportation without judicial discretion. Gonzalez noted that the Latino Cannabis Alliance refuses to let the economic boom of state-sanctioned cannabis eclipse the human cost of federal action.

“But we have never been a town that accepts the conditions given to us,” said Gonzalez. “My family refused when they left everything they knew and built a life in a foreign country. Our communities refused when prohibition tried to turn our families into criminals and our neighborhoods into evidence. And today, the Latino Cannabis Alliance refuses to deport one more family, silence one more worker, or erase one more community from a movement we’ve always been.”

He continued, “decriminalization is the floor, not the ceiling. We will not forget the deportees. We will not forget the detainees. Our work takes borders, but it begins where this system was built. The ban began with a lie about our people. It will end with the truth we made.”

Business leaders also described the injustice and inequality of the current landscape.

“Cannabis Unity Week is not a celebration of victory, it’s a call to action,” said Susie Plascencia, founder of Latinas in Cannabis and representative of the National Hispanic Cannabis Council. “Thousands of people are still incarcerated for cannabis crimes, families are still living with the consequences of prohibition, and Latino communities remain disproportionately harmed and underrepresented in this industry.”

Today, Plascencia noted, multi-state marijuana operators generate billions of dollars in public markets, but minority-owned independent startups face severe capital constraints due to federal bank restrictions.

“Latino entrepreneurs are among the fastest growing in the country, building businesses despite systemic barriers,” he said., “But in cannabis, many still face limited access to capital, restrictive policies and exclusion from ownership. We’re building it anyway, but we don’t have to build it alone. We’re here to demand federal action… Because equity isn’t just about repairing damage, it’s about investing in the future.”

The broader drug policy reform movement also gave the coalition its institutional weight.

“As MAPS celebrates its 40th anniversary, we are proud to join the Cannabis Unity Coalition to advance the movement for compassionate, evidence-based drug policy,” said Gina Vensel, Community Partnerships Manager for the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).

“This milestone is an opportunity to reflect on the progress made in the War on Drugs case while recognizing the crucial work that still lies ahead, especially around restorative justice,” Vensel said. The filter. “Together, we strive to dismantle stigma, educate our communities, and advocate for meaningful reform. The Cannabis Unity Coalition represents the power of collective action to drive lasting, positive change.”

Beyond the comprehensive scope of the MORE Act, advocates spent time on the Hill educating lawmakers on narrower measures designed to solve immediate practical problems.

Among them is the STATES 2.0 Act (HR 2934), a bipartisan bill that would amend federal law to respect state legal cannabis programs while protecting state-regulated businesses from federal interference and asset forfeiture. Advocates also pushed for the PREPARE Act (HR 2935 / S 3576), which would have created a federal commission charged with designing a comprehensive regulatory framework for the post-prohibition transition.

To address the decades-long decline in political motivation for scientific research, the coalition also sponsored the Evidence-Based Drug Policy Act (HR 3082) to remove barriers that prevent the Office of National Drug Control Policy from conducting objective research on the social impacts of cannabis legalization.

The coalition also focused heavily on “clean slate” initiatives, housing stability and agricultural guidelines. Key legislation in this area includes the Clean Slate Act, a bipartisan measure that mandates the unsealing of certain federal records for nonviolent cannabis convictions to help affected individuals access employment and educational opportunities. Advocates are also championing the Veterans Safe Use of Cannabis for Healing Act and the Veterans Equal Access Act — additional bills to prevent Veterans Affairs benefits from being stripped away if veterans participate in illegal cannabis programs, and to allow VA doctors to prescribe medicinal cannabis in states where it is legal.

Another item on the coalition’s agenda is the Marihuana Federally Assisted Housing Parity Act, a state-enforced measure to protect people in federally assisted housing from eviction or denial of residency based solely on cannabis use. Finally, organizers are seeking clarification on hemp regulations through a series of farm bills.

As the coalition faced a fight against the entrenched Congress leadership, several lawmakers came out of their offices to show solidarity. After the press conference, Representative Ilhan Omar (D-MN) spoke plainly TMZ About changing currents inside the Capitol.

Omar noted that the enormous financial fallout of maintaining prohibition has fundamentally changed the conversation, making fiscal conservatives increasingly open to reform.

“I will say, legalization advocacy doesn’t necessarily mean you’re a user, so everybody can be an advocate … because we understand that it’s not good for us to spend the billions of dollars that we make now incarcerating people for smoking a port,” Omar said.

Omar also suggested that the Hill’s policy positions lag behind private reality. “I think so There are a lot of people in Congress who smoke cannabis“, he said.

As the three-day rally ended, organizers were optimistic, saying the breadth of the 41-group alliance is forcing lawmakers to view cannabis not as a boutique policy issue, but as a critical intersection of labor rights, immigration justice, veterans’ health care and economic equity, among others.

Whether their unity can propel legislative movement in a deeply polarized Congress remains to be seen, but advocates left Washington with a clear message: the floor for decriminalization has been set; the battle for the ceiling of total justice is underway.

This the article Originally published by the author The filteran online magazine that deals with drug use, drug policy and human rights from a harm reduction perspective. Keep the filter on Bluesky, X or Facebookand sign up for their newsletter.

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More cannabis companies join Texas medical marijuana program as list of potentials hits 15

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2 days ago

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May 18, 2026

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Texas public safety officials have tentatively approved a dozen cannabis providers to join the state’s medical marijuana program. It’s an important step in expanding access to medical cannabis, after lawmakers voted last year to grow the system from three licensed operators to 15, state officials said.

The companies selected cover nearly every corner of Texas, from the Dallas area and the Panhandle to the Rio Grande Valley and West Texas, reflecting what supporters hope will become a statewide network. Among the 12 suppliers selected to move forward in the final approval process are four companies added since December. Then the Texas Department of Public Safety, which oversees the “Compassionate Use Program,” released an initial list of nine conditionally accepted applicants.

When completed, the licenses will allow the companies, many of them based in Texas, to grow, manufacture, store and sell throughout the state.

“DPS will request additional information from these businesses and will not bill the distributor organization licensing fees until additional due diligence evaluations are completed and passed,” DPS officials said in a statement.

Read more at Dallas Morning News










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