Massachusetts cannabis regulators unanimously approved an administrative order on Thursday to allow the transport of marijuana products to the popular summer destinations of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.
The Cannabis Control Commission’s decision, which took effect immediately, comes in response to a lawsuit filed in May by the owners of two island shops, Patient Centric (operating as Island Time) and The Green Lady, which sought permission for such deliveries. The state had previously banned the transport of marijuana by air or sea, citing potential violations of federal law.
Island dispensaries have faced growing hurdles in maintaining inventory, particularly after Fine Fettle, the sole cultivator on Martha’s Vineyard, announced plans to close in September due to economic difficulties. Island Time owner Geoff Rose said his shop had already temporarily closed in May after running out of product.
“If there’s no relief, I’ll go out of business,” Rose told the Cape Cod Times in a phone interview before the commission’s vote.
Under the new order, licensed marijuana businesses on the islands can receive deliveries from mainland suppliers via approved seaworthy vessels traveling within state waters. However, the commission emphasized that the order does not provide immunity from federal law, which still prohibits cannabis. Businesses must also follow strict testing and security protocols.
Commissioners cited compelling testimony from medical marijuana patients, dispensary employees, and owners at a June 6 listening session on Martha’s Vineyard.
“At the end of the day, this was about public health and public safety and patients and consumers having access to safe product,” Commissioner Kimberly Roy said, noting that the island is home to 234 registered medical marijuana patients.
The order’s passage is timely for island dispensaries, which rely heavily on the summer tourism season. Martha’s Vineyard sees its population swell from 20,000 year-round residents to more than 100,000 during peak months, according to the AP.
“This is a big day for the industry in Massachusetts,” attorney Tim Swain of Vicente LLP, who represents the retailers in the lawsuit, told Law360.
MAdeliveryorder