Massachusetts Marks Five Years of Adult-use Cannabis Delivery Exclusively by Business Owners Impacted by the War on Drugs

New data show how the cannabis delivery sector has grown since 2021

WORCESTER—The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) is highlighting how the state’s adult-use cannabis delivery sector has expanded steadily and safely in its first five years of operation—and the opportunities ahead for entrepreneurs from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by previous marijuana prohibition and enforcement.

The Commission’s Marijuana Courier, Marijuana Delivery Operator, and Delivery Endorsement business models are unique among available cannabis licenses in Massachusetts because they offer a lower barrier to enter the regulated industry and are set aside exclusively for Social Equity Program Participants (SEPs) and Certified Priority Economic Empowerment Applicants (EEAs) until 2029.

The state’s first adult-use cannabis delivery business commenced operations on June 4, 2021, following a Commission regulatory process that created three delivery models instead of one—in response to stakeholder feedback and changing market conditions amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“Delivery businesses are a crucial part of the state’s regulated industry, offering consumers and patients a convenient, safe, and private shopping alternative,” said Commissioner Xiomara Albán DeLobato, who sits in the Commission’s social justice seat. “Just as importantly, they are key to the Commission’s equity mission, as disproportionately impacted entrepreneurs have the opportunity to start and expand their companies through exclusive access to these license types for three more years. I look forward to seeing this sector grow alongside Massachusetts’ maturing cannabis industry.”

“After five years, delivery businesses have safely broadened the cannabis industry in Massachusetts and been an important part of the Commission’s equity mandate,” Executive Director Travis Ahern said. “The Commission and our partners in the state Legislature have made important changes recently that will help delivery businesses develop further, and we look forward to seeing how those changes help licensees mature and new businesses enter the marketplace.”

Currently there are 9 Marijuana Couriers and 17 Marijuana Delivery Operators serving consumers and patients across the state and employing 324 agents.

Combined, the delivery businesses have either facilitated or directly generated more than $71 million since May 2021, according to the Commission’s Open Data Platform, with sales increasing with each new year:

• 2021 — $2.61 million 
• 2022 — $8.81 million 
• 2023 — $13.45 million 
• 2024 — $16.88 million 
• 2025 — $20.96 million 
• 2026 — $8.69 million (year to date)

A new analysis of Commission data also shows the demographic breakdown of business owners with a controlling interest in Massachusetts’ delivery businesses as of May:

More information about each license type is available through the Commission’s FAQ page at MassCannabisControl.com. The Marijuana Courier and Marijuana Delivery Operator licenses are stand-alone license types allowed to perform different operations. Marijuana Couriers deliver marijuana and marijuana products to consumers and patients from a Marijuana Retailer or Medical Marijuana Establishment. Delivery Operators may purchase marijuana and marijuana products from licensed Marijuana Cultivators and Marijuana Product Manufacturers and sell and deliver to consumers. Marijuana Couriers cannot store marijuana and marijuana products overnight whereas Marijuana Delivery Operators may securely store on its premises marijuana and marijuana products that have been purchased at wholesale for eventual resale to consumers. A Delivery Endorsement is expanded permission to perform delivery operations that is added to an existing license.

Recent regulatory and state law changes support growing opportunities for existing and future delivery businesses.

• Ch. 65 of the Acts of 2026, signed into law by the governor in April, allows delivery businesses to now operate in every city and town in Massachusetts, unless communities move to opt-out through a Delivery Waiver Request Form. Before the change, delivery businesses could not reach consumers in communities that had banned delivery services. The Commission’s Municipal Zoning Tracker highlights delivery friendly communities in Massachusetts to date. 
• The Commission in March unanimously approved extending exclusivity for delivery licenses in place for an additional three years—an extension of the original exclusivity period that began in 2021. Under the policy, only SEP and EEA participants may operate delivery businesses. 
• During a regulatory process in 2024, the Commission unanimously voted to remove the so-called “two-agent rule”, which required two employees to be present for every delivery. The removal acknowledged the strong safety record of delivery businesses and eliminated an otherwise costly regulatory requirement for equity entrepreneurs. 
• Ch. 180 of the Acts of 2022 created the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund, administered by the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED), to encourage the full participation in the state’s regulated marijuana industry of entrepreneurs from communities that have been disproportionately harmed by marijuana prohibition and enforcement. More information about the fund and awards issued to date is available on EOED’s website.

Constituents who are interested in learning more about delivery licensure can locate information about the process on the Commission website. For consumers and patients, a searchable list of delivery businesses can be found through the state’s “Where to Buy” map. Customers should visit delivery business websites directly to understand whether service is available to their address.

For more information, visit MassCannabisControl.com, contact the Commission by phone (774-415-0200) or email (Commission@CCCMass.com), or follow the agency on Facebook, X, and LinkedIn.

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