Responsible Home Manufacturing, Consumption, and Youth Prevention Urged April 20

WORCESTER—The Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) is encouraging adults to use responsible home manufacturing practices, youth prevention strategies, and consumer safety if they choose to recognize April 20 on Monday.

In accordance with Chapter 55 of the Acts of 2017 and as part of its state-mandated public awareness campaign, More About Marijuana, the Commission is highlighting cautionary steps that adults ages 21 and older should take if they grow marijuana plants or produce products in their household. Since 2018, More About Marijuana has continued to promote youth prevention strategies, including conversation starters that parents and guardians can use to discuss the risks of cannabis use with youth, as well as how to consume responsibly in Massachusetts. New and traditional campaign content can be found at the Commission’s website, MoreAboutMJ.Com.

“Practicing safe consumption and keeping cannabis out of the hands of kids and teens is especially important on days that may be considered celebratory,” said Commissioner Jennifer Flanagan. “I urge Massachusetts residents to know the dangers of home manufacturing and their responsibilities as consumers and parents whenever they partake in recreational activities.”

The Commission’s next public awareness phase will focus on the risks of home manufacturing and how to prevent them by underscoring these pointers and others:

• Growing cannabis plants indoors often requires high-powered lamps, temperature controls, and expanded levels of ventilation which can overload electrical circuits and cause fires. To lower your risk of electrical fires, consult a licensed electrician to ensure you are following all relevant fire codes.
• When making concentrates, extracting cannabis oil with flammable materials such as propane and butane is illegal. These materials release vapors that can easily trigger explosions. Consider alternative extraction methods.
• When making edibles at home, like cannabis-infused beverages or baked goods, it can be challenging to distribute cannabis evenly throughout a product. This can make it hard to control the potency and dosage of the edible and difficult to predict how someone will be impacted by it.
• If you have any marijuana products in your home, be sure to store them away in a locked storage container and out of reach of children and pets.

To develop the campaign content, the Commission and vendor MORE Advertising surveyed constituencies who have experience home-manufacturing marijuana products and consulted with fire safety professionals, public health analysts, and food policy researchers. In the coming weeks, the contextual ad campaign will target Massachusetts residents who search for key words and phrases that indicate they intend to grow plants or produce cannabis products at home.

Additionally, the Commission will make home manufacturing rack cards available for order, free of charge, through the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse website. The Commission’s growing offering of rack cards now includes a “Guide to Growing Marijuana & Making Marijuana Products in Massachusetts” in addition to the “Guide to Marijuana in Massachusetts” and “A Parents Guide to Marijuana in Massachusetts”.

Any day of the year that cannabis enthusiasts partake in adult-use consumption, they should heed the following laws and safety tips:

• It is illegal for anyone under the age of 21 to purchase, possess, or consume adult-use cannabis in Massachusetts.
• Giving or selling adult-use cannabis to minors may be treated as a crime.
• Consuming cannabis in a public place is prohibited, as is smoking it any place where smoking tobacco is prohibited.
• If you have marijuana or marijuana products in a household with children or pets, lock them away and keep them out of reach.
• It is unlawful to carry cannabis across state lines or federal borders.
• It is illegal to operate a vehicle while using cannabis or while impaired by cannabis. And, like alcohol, you may not have an open container of adult-use cannabis in the passenger area of your car while on the road or at a place where the public has access.
• Especially on April 20, but any time you are at risk of becoming impaired, leave your car at home. Use public transportation or a rideshare service instead of risking your life and others’ lives by driving.
• The impairment effects of edible marijuana may be delayed by two hours or more. Start low, go slow.

If you or someone you know is experiencing a substance use disorder, the Massachusetts Substance Use Helpline is available online at https://helplinema.org/ and by phone at 800-327-5050.

For more information about the Commission’s public awareness campaign, visit MoreAboutMJ.Com, contact the Commission by emailing Commission@CCCMass.Com or calling 774-415-0200, or follow the agency on Facebook and Twitter.

###