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March 29, 2024 Rain | 45°F
The 193rd General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Section 1: Definitions

Section 1. As used in this chapter, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:

''Cannabinoid'', any of several compounds produced by marijuana plants that have medical and psychotropic effects.

''Cannabinoid profile'', amounts, expressed as the dry-weight percentages, of delta-nine-tetrahydrocannabinol, cannabidiol, tetrehydrocannabinolic acid and cannabidiolic acid in a marijuana product. Amounts of other cannabinoids may be required by the commission.

''Close associate'', a person who holds a relevant financial interest in, or is entitled to exercise power in, the business of an applicant or licensee and, by virtue of that interest or power, is able to exercise a significant influence over the management or operation of a marijuana establishment licensed under this chapter.

''Consumer'', a person who is at least 21 years of age.

''Controlling person'', an officer, board member or other individual who has a financial or voting interest of 10 per cent or greater in a marijuana establishment.

''Commission'', the Massachusetts cannabis control commission established by section 76 of chapter 10.

''Craft marijuana cultivator cooperative'', a marijuana cultivator comprised of residents of the commonwealth organized as a limited liability company or limited liability partnership under the laws of the commonwealth, or an appropriate business structure as determined by the commission, and that is licensed to cultivate, obtain, manufacture, process, package and brand marijuana and marijuana products to deliver marijuana to marijuana establishments but not to consumers.

''Cultivation batch'', a collection of marijuana plants from the same seed or plant stock that are cultivated and harvested together, and receive an identical propagation and cultivation treatment, including, but not limited to: growing media, ambient conditions, watering and light regimes and agricultural or hydroponic inputs. The marijuana licensee shall assign and record a unique, sequential alphanumeric identifier to each cultivation batch for the purposes of production tracking, product labeling and product recalls.

''Experienced marijuana establishment operator'', (i) a medical marijuana treatment center as defined in chapter 369 of the acts of 2012 with a registration in good standing, or (ii) a reorganized marijuana business established by a vote of at least 2/3 of the board of directors of an entity that submitted an application for a registration to operate a medical marijuana treatment center to the department of public health before October 1, 2015 and was issued a provisional registration to operate a medical marijuana treatment center by the department of public health before the effective date of this chapter.

''Finished marijuana'', usable marijuana, cannabis resin or cannabis concentrate.

''Hemp'', the plant of the genus Cannabis or any part of the plant, whether growing or not, with a delta–9–tetrahydrocannabinol concentration that does not exceed 0.3 per cent on a dry weight basis of any part of the plant of the genus Cannabis, or per volume or weight of marijuana product, or the combined per cent of delta–9–tetrahydrocannabinol and tetrahydrocannabinolic acid in any part of the plant of the genus Cannabis regardless of moisture content.

''Host community'', a municipality in which a marijuana establishment or a medical marijuana treatment center is located or in which an applicant has proposed locating a marijuana establishment or a medical marijuana treatment center.

''Host community agreement'', an agreement between a marijuana establishment or a medical marijuana treatment center and a municipality pursuant to subsection (d) of section 3.

''Independent testing laboratory'', a laboratory that is licensed by the commission and is: (i) accredited to the most current International Organization for Standardization 17025 by a third-party accrediting body that is a signatory to the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation mutual recognition arrangement or that is otherwise approved by the commission; (ii) independent financially from any medical marijuana treatment center or any licensee or marijuana establishment for which it conducts a test; and (iii) qualified to test marijuana in compliance with regulations promulgated by the commission pursuant to this chapter.

''Laboratory agent'', an employee of an independent testing laboratory who transports, possesses or tests marijuana.

''Licensee'', a person or entity licensed by the commission to operate a marijuana establishment under this chapter.

''Manufacture'', to compound, blend, extract, infuse or otherwise make or prepare a marijuana product.

''Marijuana'' or ''Marihuana'', all parts of any plant of the genus Cannabis, not excepted below and whether growing or not; the seeds thereof; and resin extracted from any part of the plant; and every compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of the plant, its seeds or resin including tetrahydrocannabinol as defined in section 1 of chapter 94C; provided, however, that ''marijuana'' shall not include: (i) the mature stalks of the plant, fiber produced from the stalks, oil, or cake made from the seeds of the plant, any other compound, manufacture, salt, derivative, mixture or preparation of the mature stalks, fiber, oil or cake made from the seeds of the plant or the sterilized seed of the plant that is incapable of germination; (ii) hemp; or (iii) the weight of any other ingredient combined with marijuana to prepare topical or oral administrations, food, drink or other products.

''Marijuana accessories'', equipment, products, devices or materials of any kind that are intended or designed for use in planting, propagating, cultivating, growing, harvesting, manufacturing, compounding, converting, producing, processing, preparing, testing, analyzing, packaging, repackaging, storing, containing, ingesting, inhaling or otherwise introducing marijuana into the human body.

''Marijuana cultivator'', an entity licensed to cultivate, process and package marijuana, to deliver marijuana to marijuana establishments and to transfer marijuana to other marijuana establishments, but not to consumers.

''Marijuana establishment'', a marijuana cultivator, independent testing laboratory, marijuana product manufacturer, marijuana retailer or any other type of licensed marijuana-related business.

''Marijuana product manufacturer'', an entity licensed to obtain, manufacture, process and package marijuana and marijuana products, to deliver marijuana and marijuana products to marijuana establishments and to transfer marijuana and marijuana products to other marijuana establishments, but not to consumers.

''Marijuana products'', products that have been manufactured and contain marijuana or an extract from marijuana, including concentrated forms of marijuana and products composed of marijuana and other ingredients that are intended for use or consumption, including edible products, beverages, topical products, ointments, oils and tinctures.

''Marijuana retailer'', an entity licensed to purchase and deliver marijuana and marijuana products from marijuana establishments and to deliver, sell or otherwise transfer marijuana and marijuana products to marijuana establishments and to consumers.

''Medical marijuana treatment center'', a medical marijuana treatment center as defined in section 1 of chapter 94I.

''Mycotoxin'', a secondary metabolite of a microfungus that is capable of causing death or illness in humans and other animals. For the purposes of this chapter, mycotoxin shall include alfatoxin B1, alfatoxin B2, alfatoxin G1, alfatoxin G2 and ochratoxin A.

''Process'' or ''processing'', to harvest, dry, cure, trim and separate parts of the marijuana plant by manual or mechanical means, except it shall not include manufacture as defined in this section.

''Production batch'', a batch of finished plant material, cannabis resin, cannabis concentrate or marijuana-infused product made at the same time, using the same methods, equipment and ingredients. The licensee shall assign and record a unique, sequential alphanumeric identifier to each production batch for the purposes of production tracking, product labeling and product recalls. All production batches shall be traceable to 1 or more marijuana cultivation batches.

''Residual solvent'', a volatile organic chemical used in the manufacture of a marijuana product and that is not completely removed by practical manufacturing techniques.

''Social equity business'', a marijuana establishment with not less than 51 per cent majority ownership of individuals who are eligible for the social equity program under section 22 or whose ownership qualifies it as an economic empowerment priority applicant as defined by the commission's regulations promulgated pursuant to section 4.

''Terpenoid'', an isoprene that are the aromatic compounds found in cannabis, including, but not limited to: limonene, myrcene, pinene, linalool, eucalyptol, Δ–terpinene, ß–caryophyllene, caryophyllene oxide, nerolidol and phytol.

''Unreasonably impracticable'', that the measures necessary to comply with the regulations, ordinances or by-laws adopted pursuant to this chapter subject licensees to unreasonable risk or require such a high investment of risk, money, time or any other resource or asset that a reasonably prudent businessperson would not operate a marijuana establishment.