There are now over 100,000 marijuana patients in Massachusetts, the highest it has been since 2015 when the state opened its first dispensary.
The number received a significant boost with 30,000 new patients the past year alone.
The leap in medical marijuana cardholders in the Commonwealth was contributed to regulatory changes that made the process of obtaining a card much easier. Specifically, potential patients could apply for the medical marijuana card online as opposed to visitng their PCP in person.
In addition, Massachusetts allowed medical dispensaries to stay open through the beginning of April of this year. That regulation did not extend to recreational facilities as Gov. Charlies Baker feared it would draw traffic from out-of-state and with it a spike in COVID cases.
Ironically, while recreational facilities weren’t considered by state officials the state’s Cannabis Control Commission has approved a 1/3 more license applications for them showing that recreational facilities are growing at a far quicker pace than their medical facility counterparts. Massachusetts currently has 76 medical dispensaries and over 100 adult-use cannabis retailers.
