Massachusetts voters pass Question 4, bringing the first regulated recreational cannabis market to the East Coast
Approved on November 8, 2016 with 53.66% of the vote, Massachusetts Question 4 legalized adult possession, home cultivation, and the first licensed recreational dispensaries east of the Mississippi River.
On November 8, 2016, Massachusetts voters approved Question 4 by a vote of 53.66% Yes (1,769,328 votes) to 46.34% No (1,528,219 votes), making the Commonwealth the first East Coast state to authorize licensed commercial adult-use cannabis sales.
What Question 4 legalized in Massachusetts
Personal possession and home grow took effect on December 15, 2016:
- Public and home possession: Adults 21 and older may possess up to 1 ounce of cannabis flower outside their residence (including up to 5 grams in concentrate form) and up to 10 ounces inside their home (with any amount exceeding 1 ounce kept locked).
- Home cultivation: Adults may grow up to 6 plants per person, capped at 12 plants per household if two or more adults live in the residence.
- Cannabis Control Commission (CCC): Following legislative adjustments in July 2017 (H.3818), the newly formed Cannabis Control Commission opened the East Coast’s first two licensed adult-use dispensaries—in Leicester and Northampton—on November 20, 2018.
Originally reported by Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
Sources (1)
- Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Official Election Results — November 8, 2016 General Election (Question 4: 1,769,328 Yes / 53.66% to 1,528,219 No / 46.34%). https://ballotpedia.org/Massachusetts_Marijuana_Legalization,_Question_4_(2016)
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