In Massachusetts, a medical marijuana card is your registration card in the Medical Use of Marijuana Program, which the Cannabis Control Commission runs. You need two things to get one: a certification from a healthcare provider registered with the program, and your registration with the Commission. This guide covers each step, what it costs, how renewal works and what a personal caregiver does. Every fact comes from an official source, listed at the end.
Who runs the program
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (the Commission) runs the program. According to the Commission, it lets registered qualifying patients and their personal caregivers legally obtain marijuana, for the patient's medical use, from licensed Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers (MTCs).
The law behind the program is Chapter 94I of the Massachusetts General Laws (M.G.L. c. 94I). The detailed rules are in the regulation 935 CMR 501.000. The Commission's web pages are in English, and it also publishes some program forms in Spanish.
Who can apply
Under the regulation (935 CMR 501.002), a qualifying patient is a Massachusetts resident aged 18 or older whom a certifying healthcare provider has diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition. Someone who does not live in Massachusetts can also qualify if they are receiving end-of-life care, palliative care or cancer treatment in the state, as the certifying provider determines.
The rules are stricter for a patient under 18. Two Massachusetts-licensed certifying physicians have to certify the patient, and the regulation sets the specialty at least one of them must have. A parent or legal guardian also has to give written permission, and becomes the patient's personal caregiver (935 CMR 501.010(11) and 501.015(5)).
The conditions the law names
The regulation defines "debilitating medical condition" with this list:
"Debilitating Medical Condition means cancer, glaucoma, positive status for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis C, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Crohn's disease, Parkinson's disease, and multiple sclerosis (MS), when such diseases are debilitating, and other debilitating conditions as determined in writing by a Qualifying Patient's healthcare provider."
The statute (M.G.L. c. 94I, § 1) names the same diseases, without "when such diseases are debilitating", and ends with "other conditions as determined in writing by a registered qualifying patient's registered healthcare professional".
This list sets who can be certified. It is not a statement about what marijuana does, and this page makes none. Whether to certify a patient is the certifying provider's decision.
Step by step: how to get the card
- Check that you qualify Read the age, residency and conditions rules under "Who can apply". If the patient is under 18, read the extra rules there too.
- See a registered certifying provider Only Massachusetts-licensed physicians, certified nurse practitioners and physician assistants who are registered with the program can certify you. At the visit, the provider reviews your medical history and current condition and decides whether to give you a written certification.
- Get your PIN Once the provider issues the certification, you get an email with a four-digit PIN and the instructions to finish your application. You need the PIN to register.
- Register with the Commission The fastest way is the Medical Use of Marijuana Program Online System (patient.massciportal.com). If you cannot apply online, you can mail the paper form, which the Commission also publishes in Spanish; paper applications take considerably longer. Have your PIN, a valid ID and, if needed, proof of residency and a passport-style photo ready.
- Get your card and carry it If the Commission approves your application, you can print a temporary card from your online account while the official card comes by mail. To buy at a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center, show the card with a valid ID. Carry the card whenever you have medical marijuana with you.
- Renew every year Your registration expires every year on the anniversary date on your card. You can renew up to 60 days before it expires, as long as your certification is still valid.
To buy medical marijuana, two things have to be valid at the same time: your provider's certification and your registration with the Commission.
What you need to register
- A valid ID: a Massachusetts driver's license, a Massachusetts ID card with a photo, a U.S. passport, a U.S. military ID or a Permanent Resident Card.
- If you do not use a Massachusetts license or ID card, a document that proves your primary residence in Massachusetts. For example, a utility bill less than 60 days old, your current vehicle registration, or a lease or mortgage less than six months old. The name and address have to match your application.
- In that case, also a passport-style photo: in color, taken in the last six months, on a white or off-white background.
What it costs
The Commission charges nothing to register or to renew. Certifying providers can charge for the certification visit, and each one sets its own fee. Replacing a lost, stolen or destroyed card costs $10; if that fee is a Verified Financial Hardship for you, you can ask the Commission to waive it.
The regulation also requires every certifying provider to run a discount program for patients with a Verified Financial Hardship, unless the Commission has granted the provider a waiver (935 CMR 501.010(4)). Ask about it before your visit.
Finding a certifying provider
The Commission does not publish a list of registered providers. Its FAQ says the law protects provider privacy and prohibits the Commission from sharing who is registered, so each patient has to find a provider on their own. Advanced Cultivators does not recommend any provider.
Before you book, know that a provider cannot examine you or issue a certification at a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center, and cannot certify themselves or their immediate family (935 CMR 501.010(12) and (13)).
Renewal and how long it lasts
There are two clocks. Your provider's certification states its own validity period, no shorter than 15 days and no longer than one year. It can last two years in two cases: if the patient receives Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income, or if the provider diagnoses a terminal illness or a permanent disability after an in-person visit (935 CMR 501.010(9)).
Your registration with the Commission expires every year on the anniversary date on your card. You can renew online up to 60 days early, and your certification has to be valid to do it. If it has expired, get recertified by a provider first. The paper renewal form is also published in Spanish.
If your name, address or other details change, update your online account within five days of the change.
Personal caregivers
A personal caregiver is the person who assists a registered patient with their medical use of marijuana. For example, they take the patient to and from a treatment center, pick up marijuana at the center and carry it for the patient, or prepare it and administer it to the patient. For patients over 21, naming a caregiver is optional.
- A caregiver has to be 21 or older and register with the Commission, which charges nothing for that registration.
- A caregiver cannot be the provider who certified the patient.
- Each patient can name up to two personal caregivers. One person can be a caregiver for up to five patients at a time, apart from the exceptions the regulation sets.
- A caregiver cannot take payment from the patient for this help, and cannot consume or sell the patient's marijuana.
- A caregiver registers with the PIN the patient gives them, carries their own registration card whenever they have the patient's marijuana, and renews every year.
The personal caregiver registration form is also published in Spanish.
If you do not live in Massachusetts
The Commission's Know the Laws page says that only registered patients who are Massachusetts residents, or their caregivers, can buy medical marijuana in the state. The regulation's exception is the one above: end-of-life care, palliative care or cancer treatment received in Massachusetts. When you register, you also acknowledge that the protections of Massachusetts law apply only inside the state (935 CMR 501.015(5)). And marijuana cannot be taken from one state to another.
In Spanish
This guide is also in Spanish. The Commission's web pages are in English. As of September 24, 2026, it publishes these documents in Spanish:
One practical note: on the Commission's patient registration page, the link to the Spanish form opens the Portuguese caregiver form. The first link above goes straight to the Spanish patient form.
Where you buy with a card
With a card, you buy at the Medical Marijuana Treatment Centers the Commission licenses. The Commission's "Where to Buy" tool searches by ZIP code and can filter for medical.
AC Peabody, the Advanced Cultivators Medical Marijuana Treatment Center, is in renovation at 25 Newbury Street, on Route 1 in Peabody. It has no public opening date yet.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a medical marijuana card cost in Massachusetts?
Registering with the Commission is free, and so is renewing. What you pay for is the visit with the certifying provider, who sets their own fee. Replacing a lost, stolen or destroyed card costs $10.
Can I get certified by telehealth?
The regulation allows telehealth visits. For your first certification, the visit has to be in person or, if you ask for it, a real-time, face-to-face telehealth visit with the provider. Not every provider offers one, so ask yours directly.
How long does the card take?
If the Commission approves your application, you can print a temporary card from your online account. The Commission says the official card arrives by mail in one to three weeks. Paper applications take considerably longer.
Can I buy before my card arrives?
Yes, with the temporary registration your certifying provider can issue at certification (the Commission calls it Initial Access). It lasts 14 days or until you get your annual card, whichever comes first, and you can use it only once in any 365-day period. Show it with a government-issued ID when you buy.
How often do I have to renew?
Your registration with the Commission renews every year. Your certification lasts as long as your provider sets, from 15 days at the least to one year at the most, or up to two years in the cases the regulation lists. You need both to be valid to buy.
Do I need a medical card to buy marijuana in Massachusetts?
To buy as a patient at a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center, yes: you show your card, or your temporary registration, with a valid ID. Adult-use stores sell to people 21 or older, who do not need a card.
Can I register if I do not live in Massachusetts?
As a rule, no. The regulation requires Massachusetts residency, with an exception for patients receiving end-of-life care, palliative care or cancer treatment in the state, as their certifying provider determines. The Commission also says that only registered patients who live in Massachusetts, or their caregivers, can buy medical marijuana in the state.
Is my registration confidential?
The law requires the Commission to keep the list of registered patients confidential. Names and other identifying details are not public records. Only the people the law names can see them, such as Commission staff, treatment centers when dispensing, and law enforcement to verify a registration or for an investigation.
Are the forms available in Spanish?
Yes. The Commission publishes the patient registration form, the registration renewal form and the personal caregiver registration form in Spanish. Its web pages are in English. The links are under "In Spanish", and this guide has a Spanish version.
Sources
All read on September 24, 2026. The Commission's pages and the regulation are in English, except the documents marked as Spanish.
- Cannabis Control Commission, "Patients and Caregivers"
- Cannabis Control Commission, "Register as a New Patient"
- Cannabis Control Commission, "Renew as a Registered Qualifying Patient"
- Cannabis Control Commission, "Register as a New Caregiver"
- Cannabis Control Commission, "Ten Things New Caregivers Should Know"
- Cannabis Control Commission, "Frequently Asked Questions" (medical program section)
- Cannabis Control Commission, "Know the Laws"
- Cannabis Control Commission, "Where to Buy"
- 935 CMR 501.002, definitions (the version in force since November 22, 2024)
- 935 CMR 501.010, written certification
- 935 CMR 501.015, temporary and annual registration of qualifying patients
- M.G.L. c. 94I, § 1, definitions
- M.G.L. c. 94I, § 2, medical use program
- M.G.L. c. 94I, § 3, confidentiality
- 935 CMR 501.000, Medical Use of Marijuana, the Commission's Spanish translation (PDF; translates an earlier version of the regulation)
- Patient registration form, in Spanish (Commission PDF)
- Patient registration renewal form, in Spanish (Commission PDF)
- Personal caregiver registration form, in Spanish (Commission PDF)
What this page is not
This page explains how a state program works. It is not medical or legal advice, and it makes no claim that marijuana does anything for any health condition. For questions about your health or about drug interactions, ask a qualified healthcare professional. For questions about your registration, ask the Commission.
EDUCATION ONLY · NOT MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE. The medical program's age rules are not the same as adult use: see "Who can apply". Do not drive after use.
Last checked against the official sources cited: September 24, 2026. The program's law was amended in 2026 (St. 2026, c. 65), and the Commission can update its regulations, so always confirm the details on the Commission's site.
