Massachusetts Patient FAQs

NuggMD Massachusetts connects prospective patients with state-licensed medical cannabis doctors so you can get your required medical evaluation fast, easy, and online from the comfort and privacy of your own home.

Browse our full list of patient FAQs, or contact our customer service team for one-on-one support.

To get a Massachusetts medical marijuana card, an individual must first have a physician's recommendation for one or more of the state’s qualifying conditions for medical cannabis. Learn how to get your MA medical card the easy way with NuggMD.

No. You must have a Massachusetts state ID, driver's license, or a passport or military ID that proves your Massachusetts residency. Furthermore, the address on your ID must match the address on your application. If not, the application will be sent back to you for further clarification. For a complete list of documents needed for a Massachusetts medical marijuana card, see Massachusetts online MMJ registration step-by-step instructions.

Massachusetts does not recognize out-of-state cards. However, adult patients visiting can purchase via the adult-use market.

Individuals over 18 must have a qualifying condition to be approved by a physician for a medical marijuana recommendation. A physician may approve individuals under 18 with a debilitating and terminal illness or other condition that qualifies for a medical cannabis recommendation if the benefits outweigh the potential risks.

It costs just $99 to get your medical marijuana evaluation with NuggMD. There's no charge for your evaluation if you're not approved for treatment.

There is no fee to register with the Commission as a medical marijuana patient in Massachusetts. Individuals may be charged to obtain a physician's recommendation.

Yes, it does. Medical marijuana patients are entirely exempt from up to 20% sales taxes associated with adult-use cannabis sales.

Yes. Massachusetts doesn't discriminate against medical marijuana patients based on criminal history. However, if you're currently on probation or parole, you'll need to check with your probation officer before becoming a patient or using cannabis, because they most likely prohibit cannabis use as a condition of your parole. Check with a licensed attorney to find out more.

Qualifying Massachusetts residents must first be diagnosed with a qualifying condition. All patients must be evaluated by a state-licensed physician and be 18 or older or a minor with an adult caregiver. Qualifying patients also must have proof of residency. Probationers and parolees may be able to use medical cannabis if the conditions of their release allow for it.

According to Massachusetts's medical marijuana legislation (called Act For the Humanitarian Medical Use of Marijuana), the debilitating medical conditions that can qualify residents for an MMJ card are the following: -Cancer, -Glaucoma, -Positive status for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), -Hepatitis C, -Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), -Crohn's disease, -Parkinson's disease, -Multiple Sclerosis, -and any other debilitating medical conditions so long as it is determined in writing by a qualifying patient's certifying physician.

The MA legislation defines a "debilitating medical condition as any condition that causes "weakness, cachexia, wasting syndrome, intractable pain, or nausea, or impairs strength or ability, and progresses to such an extent that one or more of a patient's major life activities is substantially limited." You may not have one of the medical conditions explicitly listed, but this does not mean you cannot still receive an MMJ ID card in Massachusetts. So long as your medical condition falls under this definition for "debilitating", you can receive a recommendation from your evaluating physician.

You might if you have a debilitating condition. It will be the practitioner's responsibility to determine whether your condition qualifies as "debilitating." The state defines “debilitating” as “causing weakness, cachexia, wasting syndrome, intractable pain, or nausea, or impairing strength or ability, and progressing to such an extent that one or more of a patient’s major life activities is substantially limited.”

Not usually. Marijuana is still a Federal Schedule 1 drug, so most insurance companies won't pay for it for fear of prosecution. A pair of bills, H.1143 and S.649, have been introduced to the Massachusetts legislature that would allow insurance companies to reimburse for cannabis.

Medical marijuana patients in Massachusetts benefit from a 17% to 20% tax savings, guaranteed product availability, access to cannabis in states that offer reciprocity, and a practitioner-guided treatment plan tailored to their needs.

Patients can see a Massachusetts doctor for an evaluation in as little as 15 minutes with NuggMD Massachusetts. Your physician will upload your approval into the state's registration system within 24 to 48 hours. Massachusetts allows patients to print a temporary medical marijuana card as soon as they're approved, but the state's approval time varies wildly. Some patients have been approved as quickly as the following day, but the state website says it can take up to 60 days to process an application. That's why it's good to start the process as soon as possible.

Learn more about Massachusetts's cannabis laws and regulations.

Absolutely! You have the right to see whomever you choose for your medical marijuana evaluation, so long as the practitioner is a Massachusetts-licensed physician, physician assistant, or certified nurse practitioner that has registered with the state as a Certifying Healthcare Provider. All NuggMD practitioners are licensed in the state for which they provide evaluations and have acquired all state-required cannabis training and certifications.

The cost to renew your med card in Massachusetts has been eliminated. However, it costs $10 to replace your MMJ ID if it’s lost

Massachusetts MMJ registrations are valid for one year. Patients will need to renew their licenses every year to stay enrolled in the state program. While your patient status needs to be renewed every year, MA patients are also required to get new ID cards every three years. We recommend that you don't wait until the last minute. It's best to re-enroll in the program at least sixty days before your ID expires to prevent any potential gaps in your patient status.

With NuggMD, you are ONLY charged for your evaluation if you are approved. We believe everyone deserves access to a qualified medical cannabis doctor, and the cost of an evaluation shouldn’t be a barrier.

You’ll only be charged if you’re approved for your medical marijuana certification. If not, your evaluation is free! If you sign up and pay for your evaluation, but then cancel before your evaluation, there is a small $10 fee for the payment processing. You can also change your mind after your evaluation if you wish and request a refund, but you must do so before your certification has been submitted to the state. Once you’ve been certified, a refund for services will no longer be available. Please send an email to support@nuggmd.com with the subject line “Refund Request” and a brief description of your issue. We want to make sure you’re 100% satisfied with your purchase being that you, the customer, are the most important thing to us! Once a refund has been initiated, please allow 3-5 business days for the funds to transfer back to the card you used for the transaction. A refund is no longer available more than 30 days after the date of your evaluation. If any issues arise, please feel free to reach back out for further assistance.

The state allows most types of cannabis products, including flower, edibles, topicals, oils, vape cartridges and more.

Learn more about Massachusetts's cannabis laws and regulations.

There are many medical cannabis dispensaries located throughout the state. You can find a list of retailers on the Cannabis Control Commission website.

Without a medical cannabis card, you must be 21 or older to purchase cannabis in Massachusetts.

The purchasing limit for Massachusetts MMJ patients is 10 ounces every 60 days. This is a "rolling-day" schedule. This means that if a patient was to buy all 10 ounces in one trip, they would need to wait another two months before purchasing any more cannabis.

So long as Massachusetts patients keep their total purchases under ten ounces in this period, they can frequent dispensaries or make purchases as often as they please. Keep in mind that his purchasing limit applies to all medical cannabis products, including edibles and concentrates. And it’s important to note that not every gram of cannabis product is treated equally. One ounce of cannabis flower, for example, is viewed as the equivalent of 5 grams of cannabis concentrate or 500mg of THC in an edible.

An individual over 21 years old can possess up to one ounce of marijuana on their person, but not more than five grams are allowed to be in concentrated form. An individual can possess up to 10 ounces in their home, in addition to marijuana produced by any plants being cultivated.

Adults 21 and older can gift up to one ounce of cannabis to other individuals over 21, but no more than 5 grams of cannabis can be in concentrate form.

No. Under no circumstances is the public use of marijuana allowed in Massachusetts. This even applies to MMJ patients in the state. Not only that, but you are also not allowed to use marijuana or marijuana products anywhere tobacco use is also prohibited. If you do so, you can be subject to a civil penalty of up to $100. The state is working to finalize guidelines for establishing more licensed consumption lounges; currently, one private members-only social club exists, The Summit Lounge.

Massachusetts mandates that cannabis deliveries must take place between 8:00 AM and 9:00 PM. Outside of this window, cannabis deliveries are not allowed unless the local municipality explicitly says otherwise via local laws.

In this regard, marijuana is treated like alcohol. It is not legal to have an open container of marijuana in the car while the vehicle is operating. An “open container” is considered any package whose seal is broken or a container whose contents have been partly emptied. Open containers cannot be present within the passenger area, but can be kept in trunks or locked glove boxes.

It is also not legal to operate any vehicle while under the influence of marijuana, whether it be recreational or medicinal. If you are caught doing so, you will be charged with an OUI and can lose your driver's license.

Reciprocity depends on the state you're visiting. Some states do offer reciprocity to visiting Massachusetts medical marijuana patients. Check with the state you're visiting to learn more.

No, it does not. The only people who can purchase medical marijuana in the state are those qualifying patients or their caregivers who reside in Massachusetts. You can, however, purchase recreational marijuana if you're over 21.

Yes. Massachusetts law permits residents 21 years or older to cultivate up to six cannabis plants on their property. If multiple adults live on the same property, this number increases to twelve plants. However, these plants can only be cultivated in an area under lock and key. And these plants cannot be visible from the vantage point of a public place. While it's legal for residents to grow their own plants, they are not permitted to manufacture their own extracts or concentrates using any liquid or gas. Medical marijuana patients are also allowed to cultivate their cannabis, up to 12 immature and 12 mature plants. They are allowed to grow additional plants to maintain their 60-day supply if they apply and are approved for a Hardship Cultivation Registration. See https://masscannabiscontrol.com/know-the-laws/#hardship.

Massachusetts residents are allowed up to six cannabis plants in their homes. However, you must be 21 years or older to do so. If there are multiple adults at the residence, the maximum number of plants on the property is twelve.

Some qualifying Massachusetts patients are eligible for something called the Hardship Cultivation Registration. Some patients may suffer from financial hardship or physical inability, preventing them from accessing medical dispensaries, known officially as Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MTC). Those patients can apply for this registration to cultivate additional medicinal cannabis plants to maintain a 60-day supply.

A Massachusetts medical marijuana card is valid for up to one year from the date of issuance.

Your parental rights aren't supposed to be affected by medical cannabis use because it's legal in Massachusetts. However, custody battles can be complicated and even though the law protects you from having your medical cannabis used against you as the sole factor in a custody case, it can still come into the discussion. So you should contact a qualified attorney to learn how medical cannabis use can affect your rights if this is a concern.

Likely not. However, this is up to the employer. All Massachusetts employers can prohibit any and all marijuana use in the workplace. This is true for every state.

This is a more nebulous issue in Massachusetts. Attitudes are changing toward medical marijuana use in the US, so this will hopefully be a moot point soon, but for now, this really depends on your employer. If you work for a federal employer that is following federal statutes for a drug free workplace, Massachusetts can't interfere with this and you'll have to follow your employer's drug policy. If you work for a private or state employer and you're fired for medical cannabis use, you do have the right to sue thanks to a landmark case in the state called Barbuto v. Advantage Sales and Marketing, LLC. This doesn't guarantee you'll win, but the court ruled that "the use and possession of medically prescribed marijuana by a qualifying patient is as lawful as the use and possession of any other prescribed medication.” Call your attorney to learn more if you think you've been discriminated against for off-the-job medical cannabis use. No employer in the state is required to allow on-the-job cannabis use.

Massachusetts hasn't enacted any specific protections for medical cannabis users' gun rights. The federal government still insists that cannabis users can't own or purchase firearms even if they're legally using cannabis in their state.

No. Massachusetts has strict legal protections in place to ensure that organ transplant patients aren't discriminated against based on their use of medical marijuana.

Yes, municipalities can ban cannabis facilities within their jurisdiction. However, if your town/city voted yes on Question #4 (Legalization, Regulation, and Taxation of Marijuana), The municipality can only issue a ban via a ballot referendum measure. This referendum must be open to all voters in that city or town.

You can request a new card by contacting the Cannabis Control Commission. A $10 lost card fee will be assessed. Financial hardship waivers can be granted.

MA patients can always contact the Cannabis Control Commission via email at Commission@CCCMass.com. Commission meetings are also always available to members of the public. Patients, if they choose to, can voice questions or concerns to the Commission during public comment portions of these meetings. However, you should no consult the Commission for individual legal advice.

Residents 21 years or older are potentially eligible to become MMJ caregivers in Massachusetts. However, every caregiver must be explicitly designated by the patient in question.

MA caregivers must first be formally designated by a registered MMJ patient. Patients have the opportunity to list caregivers during their application process. Once they have done so, the patient can provide you, the potential MMJ caregiver, with their PIN. Then, with your government-issued ID and the patient's PIN in hand, you can begin the application process online. You can apply at the Use of Marijuana Program Online System.

Yes, Massachusetts allows minors with debilitating medical conditions that are also terminal to obtain a medical cannabis card provided that they have been certified by two practitioners, one of whom must be a pediatrician, pediatric specialist, oncologist, neurologist, or family physician. The minor patient must also have at least one parent or legal guardian serve as a caregiver and are not allowed to administer the cannabis themselves. Individuals under the age of 18 without a terminal illness may receive a medical cannabis card if they get permission from their parent or legal guardian, and their physician determines that the benefits of medical cannabis outweigh the risks.

A caregiver can be registered to care for up to five Massachusetts medical cannabis patients, with the exception to the limit being immediate family members.