In 28 days the portions of Massachusetts’ adult-use cannabis law take effect that allow individuals to grow their own cannabis, drawing concerns from current medical cannabis licensees about the potential quality and safety hazards, according to a State House News Service report.
“There’s a lot of soul searching that needs to occur to make sure this is done properly,” Nicolas Vita, CEO of Columbia Care, which has three medical cannabis licenses in the state, said in the report. “We’re sort of in a very grey zone here where we don’t really know what’s going on.”
Under the current medical cannabis law, products are tested for mold, mildew, non-organic pesticides, and heavy metals before they are sold in dispensaries. The home-grow allowance is part of the law that kicks in on Dec. 15, which also includes possession of up to 1 ounce by adults 21 and older outside of their homes, 10 ounces inside. Adults will be able to grow up to six plants and gift up to 1 ounce of cannabis to another adult.
Gov. Charlie Baker, who opposed the initiative, said that the Dec. 15 date was “one piece of the 6,000-word ballot question” that “a lot of people understood out of the gate.” He said it’s not likely that the legislature would meet before it’s scheduled to reconvene in January.
“Well, you gotta remember that when the Legislature is in informal session it just takes one (lawmaker) to stop something from getting done,” Baken said. “So, I mean, as a practical matter I think it’s pretty unrealistic to assume that that wouldn’t go into effect as it’s scheduled to go into effect in December.”