A Massachusetts Certifying Healthcare Provider can evaluate you and certify a qualifying condition. Registration is free, medical purchases are tax-free, and a registered caregiver can shop for you.
You need both an active certification and an active registration with the Cannabis Control Commission.
A Massachusetts physician, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant registered with the Commission sees you.
If you qualify, the provider certifies your condition in the Commission's Online System.
Register free online with ID, proof of Massachusetts residency, and a photo.
Your Program ID card usually arrives by mail about two weeks after approval.
Some providers offer telehealth appointments — ask when you book. Renew at least once a year.
Massachusetts lets registered patients designate personal caregivers to help with their medical use of marijuana. Here's what the Commission requires.
Caregivers must be at least 21 and cannot have been convicted of a drug crime.
Each patient may designate up to two personal caregivers.
A caregiver may possess up to the patient's 60-day supply on the patient's behalf.
Caregivers register online and must carry their registration card whenever they have the patient's marijuana.
Summarized from the Commission's Ten Things New Caregivers Should Know, which also links caregiver forms in Spanish and Portuguese.
Adult-use sales carry 6.25% sales tax, 10.75% excise, and up to 3% local tax. Medical sales to registered patients and caregivers carry none of them.
Combined marijuana taxes. Buy at a treatment center or medical counter to get the exemption.
Massachusetts law lists eight conditions by name.
A Certifying Healthcare Provider may certify another debilitating condition in writing when, in their professional judgment, the benefits likely outweigh the risks.
Off Route 24 near Route 140, with a dedicated medical menu for registered patients and caregivers alongside adult-use service. It began as a medical dispensary. Confirm hours before you go.
The historic town green at the heart of downtown, ringed by century-old buildings and famous for its holiday light display — a short, level walk.
“My mother has MS and doesn't drive. I registered as her caregiver, and now I pick up her order from the medical menu.”
— Denise P., Taunton“I had no idea caregivers had rules until I read them here. It made the whole thing feel above-board.”
— Paul S., East TauntonA Massachusetts-licensed physician, certified nurse practitioner, or physician assistant registered with the Cannabis Control Commission.
Some Certifying Healthcare Providers offer telehealth appointments for certification or renewal under Commission rules. Ask when you book.
An adult 21 or older with no drug-crime convictions who isn't your certifying provider. You can designate up to two.
No. Personal caregivers may not receive payment or compensation from the patient for these duties.
No. Patient registration is free; replacing a lost card costs $10. Your provider's visit fee is separate.
On the Cannabis Control Commission's Patients and Caregivers page.
Taunton, the seat of Bristol County, earned the name "Silver City" from its long history of silver manufacturing. The Taunton River, a designated National Wild and Scenic River, winds past the city, and the Old Colony History Museum and Taunton Green anchor its historic downtown. The Cannabis Control Commission also lists Taunton among communities most affected by past enforcement. Residents follow the same statewide medical process as everyone in Massachusetts.
The Medical Use of Marijuana Program operates under M.G.L. c. 94I and the Commission's 935 CMR 501 regulations. The Cannabis Control Commission oversees patient and caregiver registration and licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers.
Tax-free medical purchases, a larger allowance, caregiver support, and access from 18 keep registration valuable. See the Commission for current rules.
Appointments with Massachusetts Certifying Healthcare Providers.