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Home / Research

Research

Our research explores the social, economic, and health impacts of marijuana across the Commonwealth. The Research Department contributes to Legislative research reports, original science papers and presentations, and educational projects.

The Cannabis Control Commission is a trusted resource for research on the impact of cannabis legalization, regularly disseminating new insights on the effects of cannabis policies through legislative reports and scientific manuscripts, and presentations at conferences, agencies, and academic institutions.

The Commission serves as a cannabis policy research center of excellence, among the first of its kind to both inform evidence-based policy decisions and add to the scientific literature. The center of excellence brings together legislators, regulators, researchers, and other government agencies to study the implementation and effects of cannabis policies. This multidisciplinary group meets the annual research agenda outlined in G. L. c. 94G, § 17(a) and G. L. c. 94G, § 17 (b), as well as assesses other topics of interest, such as effectiveness in creating a diverse new industry and rectifying harms from marijuana prohibition and enforcement.

Topics on the Commission’s research agenda include, but are not limited to:

  • Patterns of use, methods of consumption, sources of purchase and general perceptions of marijuana among minors, among college and university students and among adults;
  • Incidents of impaired driving, hospitalization and use of other health care services related to marijuana use, including a report of the state of the science around identifying a quantifiable level of marijuana-induced impairment of motor vehicle operation and a report on the financial impacts on the state healthcare system of hospitalizations related to marijuana;
  • Economic and fiscal impacts for state and local governments including the impact of legalization on the production and distribution of marijuana in the illicit market and the costs and benefits to state and local revenue;
  • Ownership and employment trends in the marijuana industry examining participation by racial, ethnic and socioeconomic subgroups, including identification of barriers to participation in the industry;
  • A market analysis examining the expansion or contraction of the illicit marketplace and the expansion or contraction of the legal marketplace, including estimates and comparisons of pricing and product availability in both markets;
  • A compilation of data on the number of incidents of discipline in schools, including suspensions or expulsions, resulting from marijuana use or possession of marijuana or marijuana products; and
  • A compilation of data on the number of civil penalties, arrests, prosecutions, incarcerations and sanctions imposed for violations of chapter 94C for possession, distribution or trafficking of marijuana or marijuana products, including the age, race, gender, country of origin, state geographic region and average sanctions of the persons charged.

To view the Commission’s latest research, visit our Public Documents page and select “Reports” under the “Filter Documents” dropdown menu.

Research Facility Licenses and Research Permits

Clinical and plant-based research are outside the expertise and responsibility of the Commission’s Research Department; However, the Research Department, in collaboration with the Licensing Department, assesses external Research Permits (i.e., certificate indicating Commission approval to conduct a specified research project over a specified and finite period) at a licensed Marijuana Research Facility. [See 500.050(12)]

Cannabis Control Commission Research Reports, January 2019-Current

Category Title Published Date
Reports, Research

Review and Assessment of the Massachusetts Adult- and Medical-use Cannabis Industries | Commissioner Questions and Research Department Answers

4/11/2025 11:56 am
Reports, Research

Review and Assessment of the Massachusetts Adult- and Medical-use Cannabis Industries

2/25/2025 5:00 pm
Annual Mandates, Reports, Research

Cannabis Use Trends in Massachusetts, Findings from the International Cannabis Policy Study, 2019 and 2020

9/8/2022 11:06 am
One-Time Mandates, Reports, Research

High Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) Cannabis and Effects on the Human Body: More Research Needed | October 2021

10/21/2021 2:55 pm
Reports, Research, Special Issue Reports

Identifying Disproportionately Impacted Areas by Drug Prohibition in Massachusetts | March 2021

3/16/2021 10:25 am
Annual Mandates, Reports, Research

A Baseline Review and Assessment of Adult and Emerging Adult Cannabis Use: High-Level Findings from The International Cannabis Policy Study (2018-2019) and Literature Overview | November 2020

12/2/2020 12:15 pm
One-Time Mandates, Reports, Research

Feasibility of Alternative Cannabis Tax Schemes: A Legislative Report & Recommendation for Massachusetts | July 2020

7/10/2020 10:05 am
Reports, Research, Special Issue Reports

Massachusetts Public Awareness Campaign, More About Marijuana: Summary and Effectiveness | June 2020

6/5/2020 3:11 pm
Annual Mandates, Reports, Research

A Baseline Review and Assessment of the Massachusetts Adult-Use Cannabis Industry: Market Data and Industry Participation | February 2020

2/20/2020 10:33 am
Reports, Research, Special Issue Reports

Special Report: Evaluating the Impact of Cannabis Legalization in Massachusetts: State of the Data | November 2019

11/12/2019 3:00 pm
Meeting Materials, Reports, Research, Special Issue Reports

Special Report: A Baseline Review and Assessment of the Massachusetts Cannabis Industry’s Required Positive Impact Plans | October 2019

10/11/2019 12:34 pm
Annual Mandates, Meeting Materials, Reports, Research

A Baseline Review and Assessment of Cannabis Use and Youth: Literature Review and Preliminary Data in Massachusetts | September 2019

9/13/2019 2:09 pm
Annual Mandates, Meeting Materials, Reports, Research

A Baseline Review and Assessment of Cannabis Use and Public Safety Part 2: 94C Violations and Social Equity: Literature Review and Preliminary Data in Massachusetts

4/5/2019 9:13 am
Annual Mandates, Meeting Materials, Reports, Research

A Baseline Review and Assessment of Cannabis Use and Public Safety Part 1: Operating under the Influence of Cannabis: Literature Review and Preliminary Data in Massachusetts

1/25/2019 5:23 pm

For accessible translated reports, please visit our Public Documents page and select “Reports” under the “Filter Documents” dropdown menu.

Peer-Reviewed Publications

Lead Author Last NamePublication Year TitleJournalDOI
Kritikos 2024Simultaneous Cannabis and Alcohol Use Among Medical Cannabis PatientsSubstance Use and Misusehttps://doi.org/10.1080/10826084.2024.2305795
Johnson2023Cannabis Research and Therapeutics: An International Quasi-experiment in Cannabis PolicyClinical Therapeuticshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2023.04.012
Schauer2023A Research Agenda to Inform Cannabis Regulation: How Science Can Shape PolicyClinical Therapeuticshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2023.03.010
Johnson2023History of Cannabis Regulation and Medicinal Therapeutics: It’s ComplicatedClinical Therapeuticshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2023.04.011
Colby2023Medical Cannabis Program Sustainability in the Era of Recreational CannabisClinical Therapeuticshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2023.01.017
Dilley2023Cannabis Retail Market Indicators in Five Legal States in the United States: A Public Health PerspectiveClinical Therapeuticshttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.clinthera.2023.06.015
Hard2022Medical Cannabis Laws and Adolescent Alcohol Use InitiationCannabishttps://doi.org/10.26828/cannabis/2022.03.001
Kritikos2021Past 30-day marijuana vaping: Prevalence and predictors of use in a nationally representative study of U.S. youthAmerican Journal of Preventative Medicinehttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2020.06.029
Johnson2021Medical marijuana laws (MMLs) and dispensary provisions not associated with higher odds of adolescent marijuana or heavy marijuana use: A 46 State Analysis, 1991-2015Substance Abuse Journalhttps://doi.org/10.1080/08897077.2021.1900986
Johnson2021Cannabis policy heterogeneity and effects on research—complexity expectedThe Journal of the American Medical Associationhttps://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.2545
Doonan2021Discussion of the National Incident-Based Reporting System’s (NIBRS) Potential to Assess and Monitor Cannabis Incident Disparities: Response to Drs. McCormack and WalfieldAmerican Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abusehttps://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2021.1881531
Das2021State Medical Marijuana Laws and Initiation of Cigarette Use among Adolescents in the U.S., 1991-2015Cannabishttps://doi.org/10.26828/cannabis/2021.01.004
Geissler2021A scoping review of data sources for the conduct of policy-relevant substance use researchPublic Health Reportshttps://doi.org/10.1177/00333549211038323
Johnson2021Contextualizing Cannabis Legalization OutcomesJournal of Adolescent Healthhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2021.08.018
Doonan2021Racial Equity in Cannabis Policy: Diversity in the Massachusetts Adult-Use Industry at 18-MonthsCannabishttps://doi.org/10.26828/cannabis/2022.01.004
Geissler2020Evaluation of Availability of Survey Data about Cannabis UseThe Journal of the American Medical Associationhttps://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.6039
Doonan2020Using National Incidence Based Reporting System (NIBRS) to Examine Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Cannabis ViolationsThe American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abusehttps://doi.org/10.1080/00952990.2020.1803894
Guttmannova2019Using Existing Data to Advance Knowledge About Adolescent and Emerging Adult Marijuana Use in the Context of Changes in Marijuana PoliciesPrevention Sciencehttps://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-019-00991-w
Johnson2019Building Evidence-Based Prevention Mechanisms into Cannabis Legalization Policy and RegulationsAmerican Journal of Public Healthhttps://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2019.305249
Johnson2018Elucidating the Impact of Adolescent Marijuana UseJournal of Adolescent Healthhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2018.06.002

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