Applicants & Licensees / License Types
License Types
Learn about the different license types created to empower business owners, local farmers, and entrepreneurs in Massachusetts. More information about the Commission’s licensing process is available through the Guidance on Licensure.
Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers
Previously known as Registered Marijuana Dispensaries, a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center (MTC) is a vertically integrated business that cultivates, processes, and retails its own marijuana and marijuana products for medical use. MTCs also may deliver marijuana and marijuana products to Registered Qualifying Patients.
Marijuana Establishments
A Marijuana Establishment (ME) means a Craft Marijuana Cooperative, Cultivator (indoor or outdoor), Independent Testing Laboratory, Marijuana Courier, Marijuana Delivery Operator, Marijuana Research Facility, Microbusiness, Product Manufacturer, Retailer, Social Consumption Establishment, Standards Laboratory, Transporter, or any other type of adult-use marijuana business licensed by the Cannabis Control Commission, excluding MTCs.
Types of Marijuana Establishments
Craft Marijuana Cooperative
A Craft Marijuana Cooperative is a type of Marijuana Cultivator that allows growers to join together and grow up to 100,000 square feet of marijuana plants among them.
A cooperative must satisfy the following conditions:
- All members of the cooperative must have lived in Massachusetts for at least one year prior to submitting an application.
- The cooperative must include Massachusetts residents who have formed a limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or a cooperative corporation.
- The members of a Craft Marijuana Cooperative may not have a controlling interest in any other ME.
- A Craft Marijuana Cooperative is not limited to a particular number of cultivation locations, but is limited to three locations for activities authorized for marijuana Product Manufacturers with a total canopy of 100,000 square feet.
- One member of the Craft Marijuana Cooperative must have filed a Schedule F tax form during the past five years.
- The Craft Marijuana Cooperative must operate according to the seven cooperative principles published by the International Cooperative Alliance in 1995.
Cultivator
A Cultivator is a business licensed to cultivate, process, and package cannabis and to transfer marijuana to other MEs—but not to consumers.
A licensee may not have a total canopy of more than 100,000 square feet.
Canopy is measured as the boundary that contains mature plants at any point in time. If mature plants are being cultivated using a shelving system, the surface area of each level is included in the total canopy calculation. A canopy may be noncontiguous and may include:
- Interior walls
- Shelves
- Greenhouse walls
- Hoop house walls
- Garden benches
- Hedge rows
- Fencing
- Garden beds
- Garden plots
Cultivators may select one of 11 tiers of operating space. The selected tier affects application and licensing fees.
| Tier 1 | up to 5,000 square feet |
| Tier 2 | 5,001 to 10,000 sq. ft. |
| Tier 3 | 10,001 to 20,000 sq. ft. |
| Tier 4 | 20,001 to 30,000 sq. ft. |
| Tier 5 | 30,001 to 40,000 sq. ft |
| Tier 6 | 40,001 to 50,000 sq. ft. |
| Tier 7 | 50,001 to 60,000 sq. ft. |
| Tier 8 | 60,001 to 70,000 sq. ft. |
| Tier 9 | 70,001 to 80,000 sq. ft. |
| Tier 10 | 80,001 to 90,000 sq. ft. |
| Tier 11 | 90,001 to 100,000 sq. ft. |
Independent Testing Laboratory
An Independent Testing Laboratory is an entity that is properly accredited to perform tests in compliance with the requirements of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health protocols for testing cannabis and cannabis products.
Marijuana Courier
A Marijuana Courier licensee may deliver marijuana or marijuana products directly to consumers and patients at a residential address from a licensed Marijuana Establishment (ME) or Medical Marijuana Treatment Center (MTC) with which the Marijuana Courier has a delivery agreement. A delivery agreement sets forth the business terms of their agreement, as well as procedures for pre-verification of consumers receiving deliveries. A Marijuana Courier shall not have a retail location accessible to the public. Residential deliveries of marijuana or marijuana products are limited to municipalities that:
- Are listed on the Commission-issued license as the licensee’s place of business;
- Allow for the operation of Marijuana Retailers whether one or more establishments are operational or not; and
- Opt-in to residential delivery.
The Commission maintains a database of municipalities that have opted-in to residential delivery. Deliveries may only take place between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., unless otherwise allowed or limited by municipal by-law or ordinance. Municipalities may broaden the time for delivery or may narrow it. It is the responsibility of the licensee to know the rules of the municipality where the licensee delivers.
A Marijuana Courier shall be limited on an exclusive basis to businesses controlled by and with majority ownership comprised of Certified Economic Empowerment Priority Applicants or Social Equity Program Participants for a period of 36 months from the date the first Marijuana Delivery Operator receives a notice to commence operations.
For more information about this license type, view the Commission’s Delivery FAQ.
Marijuana Delivery Operator
Marijuana Delivery Operators allowed to purchase marijuana and marijuana products from licensed Marijuana Cultivators and Marijuana Product Manufacturers and sell and deliver to consumers. They may also securely store on their premises marijuana and marijuana products that have been purchased at wholesale for eventual resale to consumers.
Residential deliveries of marijuana or marijuana products are limited to municipalities that:
- Are listed on the Commission-issued license as the licensee’s place of business;
- Allow for the operation of Marijuana Retailers, whether one or more establishments are operational or not; and
- Opt-in to residential delivery.
The Commission maintains a database of municipalities that have opted-in to residential delivery. Deliveries may only take place between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., unless otherwise allowed or limited by municipal by-law or ordinance. Municipalities may broaden the time for delivery or may narrow it. It is the responsibility of the licensee to know the rules of the municipality where the licensee delivers.
Marijuana Delivery Operator licenses shall be limited on an exclusive basis to businesses controlled by and with majority ownership comprised of Certified Economic Empowerment Priority Applicants or Social Equity Program Participants for a period of 36 months from the date the first Marijuana Delivery Operator receives a notice to commence operations.
For more information about this license type, view the Commission’s Delivery FAQ.
Marijuana Research Facility
A Marijuana Research Facility is defined as an academic institution, non-profit corporation, domestic corporation, or other entity authorized to cultivate, purchase, or otherwise acquire cannabis for the purpose of conducting research regarding cannabis and cannabis products.
Microbusiness
A Microbusiness is a co-located ME that can be either a tier 1 Marijuana Cultivator or Product Manufacturer—or both. A Microbusiness that is a Marijuana Product Manufacturer may purchase no more than 2,000 pounds of marijuana per year from other MEs. The majority of executives or members of a Microbusiness must be residents of Massachusetts for no less than 12 months prior to applying for a license. Application and license fees for Microbusinesses are set at 50% of the combined sum of the application and license fees for cultivation and/or manufacturing.
Microbusinesses also may offer delivery service upon receiving a Delivery Endorsement from the Commission. More information about Delivery Endorsements is available in the Commission’s Delivery FAQ. Currently, Delivery Endorsements are available only to Marijuana Microbusinesses with majority ownership comprised of Certified Economic Empowerment Priority Applicants and/or Social Equity Program Participants for a period of at least 36 months from the date the first Delivery Operator licensee receives a notice to commence operations.
Product Manufacturer
A Product Manufacturer is an entity licensed by the Cannabis Control Commission to obtain, manufacture, process, and package cannabis, or marijuana products and to transfer these products to other MEs, but not to consumers.
Retailer
A Marijuana Retailer is an entity authorized to purchase and transport marijuana and marijuana products from other MEs, and to sell or otherwise transfer marijuana and marijuana products to other MEs and to consumers.
A Marijuana Retailer provides a retail location which may be accessed by consumers 21 years of age or older or, if the retailer is colocated with a MTC, by individuals who are also Registered Qualifying Patients or personal Caregivers.
Standards Laboratory
A Standards Laboratory performs blind tests to verify the results of Independent Testing Laboratories.
Transporter
A transporter is an entity that solely transports cannabis or cannabis products. There are two types of transporters:
- Third-party Transporter
An entity registered to do business in Massachusetts that does not hold another ME license pursuant to 935 CMR 500.050 and is not registered as an MTC. - Existing Licensee Transporter
An ME that contracts with other MEs to transport their marijuana and marijuana products to other MEs.
Adult-Use Licenses Awarded by Type
State law requires the adult-use cannabis industry in Massachusetts to include participation by small and large participants. The Cannabis Control Commission offers applicants of all sizes the opportunity to contribute through a wide range of licenses types, including cultivators, craft marijuana cooperatives, product manufacturers, retailers, research facilities, independent testing laboratories and standard laboratories, transporters, and microbusinesses. Additional datasets can be found in our Data Catalog.
Please note that all data is self-reported. Commission Open Data disclaimer available here.
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