The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) on Thursday, November 14, approved the Commonwealth’s first Marijuana Research Facility final license.
Commissioners voted unanimously (4-0) at the agency’s monthly public meeting to grant Curaleaf Processing a final license to operate a Marijuana Research Facility in Newton. In September, the Commission’s Investigations and Enforcement staff inspected the Marijuana Research Facility and found it to be in full compliance with the requirements under state law. Upon receiving administrative approval for any submitted Research Permit applications, Curaleaf Processing Inc. must then pass a final license inspection prior to being authorized to commence operations and begin research projects.
“While serving as the Commission’s public health appointee, I have emphasized time and again the critical need for more cannabis research to help Massachusetts residents better understand the potential risks and benefits of cannabis consumption,” said Commissioner Kimberly Roy. “As one of only fifteen cannabis research licenses of this type granted nationwide, the issuance of this Research Facility is a significant development for both the agency and industry. I am hopeful this is a first step towards Massachusetts someday being positioned as a global leader in cannabis research.”
Marijuana Research Facility licenses are available to any academic institution, nonprofit corporation, or domestic corporation or entity authorized to do business in the Commonwealth that is interested in either conducting research involving cannabis directly or permitting external researchers with an approved Research Permit to conduct research involving cannabis within approved facilities. A Research Permit is a certificate from the Commission to conduct a specified research study over a specified and finite period and identifies the type of research study to be performed at the licensed premises of the Marijuana Research Facility.
By establishing the Marijuana Research Facility license type in 2018, the Commission aimed to build upon the Commonwealth’s status as a world-class hub for higher education, medical, and biotech advancements and ensure Massachusetts’ leadership in emerging cannabis research and science. To date, Massachusetts is one of five states in the nation with legalized cannabis that offer research licenses, including New York, Connecticut, Washington, and Colorado. Only fifteen cannabis research licenses have been granted nationwide, and just ten of those are active.
Following Thursday’s approval, the final licensee will need to submit a Research Permit application for review by the agency’s Research Department. In Massachusetts, any research projects involving human subjects will require supplying necessary Institution Review Board details while any study involving animal subjects will require supplying necessary Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) details to the Commission.
