Bill stabilizes governance and responsibly increases legal possession of marijuana for personal use
(BOSTON—11/19/2025) The Massachusetts Senate acted today to reform oversight of the maturing cannabis industry by reorganizing the state’s regulatory agency and making targeted updates that support recreational consumers and small businesses. Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington) voted in support of the bill’s passage through the Senate.
The legislation approved by the Senate—An Act modernizing the Commonwealth’s cannabis laws, S.2722—takes into account the cannabis industry’s growth over the past seven years by streamlining the Cannabis Control Commission (CCC), which would now operate with three members including a chair appointed directly by the Governor.
The bill updates licensure policies to meet the needs of businesses and consumers today and in the future, allowing retailers to expand and hold a maximum of four licenses and removing operational barriers for smaller companies to enter the medical marijuana market. Following the successful introduction of recreational consumption since voters approved legalization in 2016, recreational consumers would be allowed to possess a maximum of two ounces, an increase from the current one-ounce limit.
“The voters of the Commonwealth made cannabis legal at the ballot box in 2016 and since then, the Legislature has consistently reviewed the state of the industry and made tweaks when necessary,” said Senator Friedman, Chair of the Senate Committee on Steering and Policy. “This bill strengthens the regulatory framework overseeing the cannabis industry, while also making adjustments to policies such as the amount of cannabis that can be legally possessed, based on our evaluation of the current laws and evolving practices. I thank my colleagues for the constructive debate on the legislation, and hope we can reach consensus on these reforms with the House of Representatives this session.”
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means advanced the bill with a 16-0 vote on November 13, 2025. The House of Representatives passed a version of the bill on June 4, 2025, based on several separate bills for which public testimony was solicited earlier this year by the Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy.
Senators filed and considered 59 amendments to the bill. One of the amendments adopted during today’s session, Amendment 17, removes some obstacles for social equity businesses by automatically allowing marijuana deliveries in all communities, while preserving local autonomy by allowing municipalities to request the CCC to ban deliveries for two years at a time. Senators also adopted Amendment 33, which directs the CCC to work with medical experts and other agencies to study ongoing federal developments around hemp-derived cannabinoids and a potential regulatory framework for intoxicating hemp products.
Full details of the legislation are available online in the Senate Press Room.
The Senate passed the bill on a 30-7 roll call vote, sending it to the House for further consideration.
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