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BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Cannabis Control Commission voted on Tuesday to eliminate the annual registration fee for medical marijuana users.
Certified patients will no longer have to pay the $50 annual registration fee, as part of several new regulations that were approved.
“After five months of public discussion and engaging with Massachusetts residents about their thoughts and concerns, I am proud of the final policy changes the Commission adopt today,” Commission Chairman Steven J. Hoffman said in a statement.
The new policies make changes regarding licensing, registration, and public safety.
According to Hoffman, the new regulations “bring expansions and improvements to the adult and medical use of marijuana products that will bolster public health, promote access to and participation in the industry, and support small businesses in our state.”
While patients won’t have to pay the $50, fees will rise for large cultivators, “as well as retailers, product manufacturers, independent testing laboratories, and transporters with an existing license,” according to the Commission.
The Commission also approved home delivery of marijuana in Massachusetts.
The new regulations also look to improve public health and safety across the Commonwealth, including providing users with “more information about the concentrates and extracts that they may consume through vaping and other means,” according to the Commission.
On Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker implemented a four-month ban on the sale of vaping products as related illnesses are on the rise across the country.
Gov. Baker Issues 4-Month Ban On Vaping Product Sales In Mass.
Federal, state, and local health officials across the country are “investigating a multistate outbreak of lung injury associated with e-cigarette” products, according to the CDC.
The CDC says there has been about 800 reported cases of lung injury nationwide, and 12 confirmed deaths due to vaping.
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