Mass. Medical Marijuana Regulations Finalized, Patients Can Grow Own Supply During Interim Period

Medical marijuana regulations were finalized by Massachusetts public health officials Wednesday and will take effect May 24.

While it will still take several months before any medical marijuana dispensaries emerge around the state, patients are able to grow their own supply of the drug during the interim period.

Dr. Lauren Smith, interim commissioner of the Department of Public Health, says that the first facilities would most likely not be operational before the end of the year.

Up to 35 dispensaries are planned for licensing by the DPH, according to the Associated Press.

Massachusetts became the 18th state to legalize medical marijuana this past November for health conditions like cancer, Parkinson's disease and HIV. And while physicians would be able to recommend the substance to patients with other "debilitating" conditions, those health issues have not been specified.

The regulations, approved by the state Public Health Council by unanimous vote, allow for patients to receive up to 10 ounces of medical marijuana for a 60-day supply. But in some cases, patients with more acute conditions will be able to acquire more.

The official title for the dispensaries was altered before the regulations were approved and changed from medical treatment centers to "registered marijuana dispensaries," a change encouraged by doctors who say that marijuana has yet to be approved as an official medical treatment.

Under the newly approved regulations, patients would register under the medical marijuana program to receive their medical marijuana supply from a licensed treatment center.

In some cases, patients would even be able to cultivate their own marijuana at home if they are not able to get to one of the dispensaries.

Some of the treatment centers may face opposition from towns where they attempt to establish their facility. But Attorney General Martha Coakley ruled that while towns are unable to ban the medical treatment centers from being setup within their borders, they are able to establish zoning restrictions.