Dispensary owners, marijuana doctors, and all other medical marijuana industry professionals should review the final regulations for the Massachusetts medical marijuana program.

View the FINAL REGULATIONS here.

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Massachusetts health officials are ready to approve the final regulations for the use of medical marijuana.

The vote is expected on Wednesday by the Public Health Council and will pave the way for the voter-approved law to take effect. But it will likely be several more months before Massachusetts sees its first medical marijuana dispensary open.

The proposed medical marijuana regulations will allow patients approved for medical marijuana to receive up to 10 ounces of marijuana as a 60-day supply. Acutely ill patients could receive more with permission from their primary doctors.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health plans to license up to 35 medical marijuana dispensaries.

Senate Bill 1031 and Senator John F. Keenan are trying to thwart the Massachusetts medical marijuana program that was approved by 63 percent of voters in November.

At 10am on May 6, in hearing room A-2 of the State House, the Joint Committee on Public Health will hold a hearing about Senate Bill 1031 and several other proposals that could prevent qualifying medical marijuana patients from accessing their medicine.

Bill 1031 would minimize the number of dispensaries allowed in Massachusetts from the voter-approved 35 to only 10 dispensaries state-wide. The proposal would also restrict patients to a supply of only two ounces per month, which is reduced from the current 60-day supply of ten ounces.

Most notably, Bill 1031 would limit the amount of qualifying conditions down to: cancer, HIV/AIDS, glaucoma, hepatitis C, Crohn’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and multiple sclerosis. This highly restrictive list excludes the current condition: chronic pain, paralysis, PTSD, ulcerative colitis, and many other conditions that patients could find relief via medical marijuana.

Oak Bluffs or Tisbury will likely end up as the home to Martha’s Vineyard’s first medical marijuana dispensary.

Voters in both towns defeated a town meeting article seeking a year-long moratorium on medical marijuana.

Medical marijuana patients will be able to smoke and/or consume their medicine in Edgartown’s public places, but not in Oak Bluffs’ or Tisbury’s because Edgartown voted down a medical marijuana consumption ban that did pass in the other two towns.

Massachusetts lawmakers have moved to ban the sale of medical marijuana that is packaged to resemble candy. Lawmakers are worried that medical marijuana edibles that are packaged like candy might be enticing to children.

The House approved the measure on Tuesday night during the state budget debate.

The House approved a revised amendment telling the state’s Department of Public Health to create regulations to prohibit the sale of any medical marijuana products that are packaged to resemble “commercially available candy.”

Massachusetts officials will be holding hearings around the state to obtain the public’s input on the proposed medical marijuana regulations.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued draft regulations last month for the medical marijuana program.

There will be three public hearings held at 10am on Friday. The locations are: at the Department of Public Health’s headquarters in Boston, at Plymouth Memorial Hall in Plymouth, and at Look Park Garden House in Northampton.

All speakers are asked to provide a copy of their testimony. People can also email testimony to Reg.Testimony@state.ma.

So far, the proposed medical marijuana regulations require dispensaries to test their products for contaminants and to implement inventory control measures.

The Public Health Council will be voting on the medical marijuana regulations on May 8, 2013.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s proposed rules will allow a doctor to recommend up to 10 ounces of marijuana over a 60-day period. The Department of Public Health will be holding a hearing about their recently proposed rules. They expect to finalize the rules sometime in May 2013. Watch the video to learn more…

Now that the obvious benefits of legalizing medical marijuana are mainstream in America, greedy bureaucrats are making it financially impossible for the common horticulturalist, caregiver or entrepreneur to own and operate a medical marijuana dispensary.

The road to getting a medical marijuana dispensary license in Massachusetts is not only a complicated game full of red tape, it also requires applicants to put up at least $500,000 in an escrow account to prove they have the money to operate one.

Applicants also have to file a detailed business plan explaining security protocols and strict inventory procedures. Understandably, regulatory guidelines are a must, but asking for a $500,000 deposit is ludicrous. Obviously, law makers are weeding out any opportunity for the small business person to prosper from this economic opportunity. However, there’s no shortage of enthusiasts, regardless of the extremely high standards being set.

Bottom line is that people who know medical marijuana can help cure cancer and other chronic diseases are positioning themselves and their resources to make this new economy happen, one way or another.

Dr. Lauren Smith, the interim commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), is quitting in May after finalizing the new regulations for Massachusetts’ medical marijuana industry.

Dr. Smith will be stepping down from her position on May 10, just two days after the final vote by regulators for the proposed regulations on medical marijuana use in Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health’s Medical Marijuana Work Group recently posted an information sheet on the proposed regulations. The drafted version can be viewed here: Mass.gov

Massachusetts is one step closer to implementing its medical marijuana law. Today, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health releases the first draft of the medical marijuana law-to-be.