It’s a tale as old as smoking pot itself: whether it’s making an appointment, standing in line, and catching glares from a security guard at a dispensary; or tediously waiting while your pain-in-the-butt friend “just gets to a save point” in his Xbox session — scoring weed isn’t always easy. So, it makes sense that recreational marijuana delivery services are taking off in states like California. Some, especially so: Eaze, a GrubHub or UberEats-style platform for marijuana delivery, has received tens of millions of dollars in venture capital since its first round of funding in 2015, and could well revolutionize the industry nationwide once it expands to customers outside its home state. mFor now, Eaze is only licensed to deliver CBD products in Massachusetts, but it got us thinking: what kind of delivery options are available to recreational marijuana users in the state?
Can you get recreational marijuana delivery in Massachusetts?
Oh, definitely — just not in an entirely legal way. At least, not yet.
Patients with a medical card have a number of legal delivery services available, but so far, state regulators have not extended this luxury to recreational users. Of course, there are several unlicensed recreational dispensaries throughout the Commonwealth, including those that operate in the Boston area.
Some are explicit about what they do, while others — citing a state law exception that allows for the “gifting” of marijuana to another person — claim they are simply offering the goods as a promotional gift in conjunction with the purchase of another product. For example, the company Duuber.com bills itself as a “t-shirt delivery” service, selling tees with photos of various marijuana products on them ranging from $60 to $290.
If $300 sounds like a lot for an undershirt with a photo of pot on it, the site’s disclaimer should clue you in to what’s actually going on here:
“We only deliver to Massachusetts. Must be over 21. Delivery time will be coordinated via email,” the statement reads. “This is a private club. Any payments or remuneration received by Duuber are in exchange for our awesome Luxury T-shirts only. Any free marijuana or cannabis gifts that may or may not be included by the driver are neither being advertised nor promoted to the public.”
If this seems ridiculous, you’re right: state regulators have said these sort of workarounds don’t actually fall under the law’s exception for gifting. That being said, authorities don’t seem keen on using resources to shut down the grey market “gifting” economy — at least, for now.
Does Massachusetts have any plans to bring recreational delivery into the legal market?
Sort of! While they’ve postponed the vote several times since voters legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, the Cannabis Advisory Board’s Subcommittee on Market Participation made a formal recommendation (on a four to three vote) last week to allow delivery to non-medical users. That recommendation will be sent to the full Cannabis Control Commission, who will vote on whether to allow the practice and how it might be regulated.
The timetable on that decision and it’s possible implementation, however — as is so often the case in Massachusetts — remains anyone’s guess.
