The Massachusetts medical marijuana rules use terms that are easy to mix up, such as certification and registration, or a personal and an institutional caregiver. Each term below is defined as the state's regulation or law defines it.
People and providers
A Certifying Healthcare Provider is a Certifying CNP, a Certifying Physician or a Certifying Physician Assistant(state regulation).
Under Massachusetts law, a qualifying patient is a person who has been diagnosed by a registered healthcare professional as having a debilitating medical condition(state law).
A Registered Qualifying Patient is a Qualifying Patient who is currently and validly issued a temporary or an annual Registration Card by the Commission(state regulation).
A Debilitating Medical Condition includes cancer, glaucoma and multiple sclerosis, when such diseases are debilitating(state regulation).
A Debilitating Medical Condition also includes other debilitating conditions as determined in writing by a Qualifying Patient's healthcare provider(state regulation).
A Personal Caregiver is a person registered by the Commission who is 21 years of age or older, has agreed to assist with a Registered Qualifying Patient's medical use of Marijuana, and is not the patient's Certifying Healthcare Provider(state regulation).
An Institutional Caregiver is an employee of a hospice program, long-term care facility, or hospital providing care to a Registered Qualifying Patient on the premises of a long-term care facility or hospital or through a hospice program(state regulation).
A Caregiving Institution is a hospice program, long-term care facility, or hospital duly registered currently and validly by the Commission(state regulation).
Cards and certification
A Patient Registration Card is a temporary or an annual Registration Card currently and validly issued by the Commission to a Registered Qualifying Patient(state regulation).
A Written Certification is a form submitted to the Commission by a Massachusetts licensed Certifying Healthcare Provider describing the Qualifying Patient's pertinent symptoms and specifying the Debilitating Medical Condition(state regulation).
A certification may not be valid for less than 15 calendar days or longer than one year, except that in some circumstances it may be valid for two years(state regulation).
Under Massachusetts law, electronic certifications, upon submission by a healthcare professional to the commission, automatically generate a temporary registration(state law).
A Temporary Patient Registration is an interim registration document for patients and their Personal Caregivers generated automatically upon the Commission's receipt of a Certifying Healthcare Provider's Electronic Certification(state regulation).
A temporary registration expires 14 days after the Commission issues the Registration Card, or on the issuance and receipt of an annual Registration Card, whichever occurs first(state regulation).
Businesses
Under Massachusetts law, a medical marijuana establishment is a fully integrated medical marijuana treatment center or any other type of licensed medical use of marijuana-related business(state law).
Under Massachusetts law, a fully integrated medical marijuana treatment center is an entity licensed by the commission with the ability to cultivate, manufacture, process and sell medical use marijuana to qualifying patients, personal caregivers and medical marijuana establishments(state law).
The regulation says a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center was formerly known as a Registered Marijuana Dispensary (RMD)(state regulation).
A Marijuana Courier is an entity licensed to deliver directly to Registered Qualifying Patients or Caregivers from an MTC(state regulation).
Amounts and hardship
A 60-day Supply is the amount of Marijuana a Registered Qualifying Patient would reasonably be expected to need over a period of 60 calendar days, which is ten ounces unless otherwise determined by a Certifying Healthcare Provider(state regulation).
A 14-day Supply is the amount of Marijuana a Registered Qualifying Patient would reasonably be expected to need over a period of 14 calendar days, which is 2.5 ounces unless otherwise determined by a Certifying Healthcare Provider(state regulation).
Verified Financial Hardship means that an individual is a recipient of MassHealth, or Supplemental Security Income, or the individual's income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size(state regulation).
A Hardship Cultivation Registration is a registration issued to a Registered Qualifying Patient under the requirements of the hardship cultivation regulation(state regulation).
Other terms
Other Jurisdiction means the United States, another state, or foreign jurisdiction, or a military, territorial or Native American tribal authority(state regulation).
Short answers
What does a Medical Marijuana Treatment Center used to be called?
The regulation says it was formerly known as a Registered Marijuana Dispensary (RMD)(state regulation).
Is a temporary registration a real card?
A temporary registration is generated automatically upon the Commission's receipt of a Certifying Healthcare Provider's Electronic Certification(state regulation).
How long can a certification last?
A certification may not be valid for less than 15 calendar days or longer than one year, except that in some circumstances it may be valid for two years(state regulation).
Advanced Dispensary in Peabody
Advanced Dispensary in Peabody is being built and has no opening date.
Sources
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Certifying Healthcare Provider means a Certifying CNP, a Certifying Physician or a Certifying Physician Assistant."
- "M.G.L. c. 94I, section 1 (definitions)" (malegislature.gov, read November 5, 2026): "'Qualifying patient'', a person who has been diagnosed by a registered healthcare professional as having a debilitating medical condition."
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Registered Qualifying Patient means a Qualifying Patient who is currently and validly issued a temporary or an annual Registration Card by the Commission."
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Debilitating Medical Condition means cancer, glaucoma ... multiple sclerosis (MS), when such diseases are debilitating"
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "and other debilitating conditions as determined in writing by a Qualifying Patient's healthcare provider"
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Personal Caregiver means a person, registered by the Commission, who shall be 21 years of age or older, who has agreed to assist with a Registered Qualifying Patient's medical use of Marijuana, and is not the Registered Qualifying Patient's Certifying Healthcare Provider."
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Institutional Caregiver means an employee of a hospice program, long-term care facility, or hospital providing care to a Registered Qualifying Patient on the Premises of a long-term care facility, hospital or through a hospice program"
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Caregiving Institution means a hospice program, long-term care facility, or hospital duly registered currently and validly by the Commission"
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Patient Registration Card means a temporary or an annual Registration Card currently and validly issued by the Commission to a Registered Qualifying Patient."
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Written Certification means a form submitted to the Commission by a Massachusetts licensed Certifying Healthcare Provider describing the Qualifying Patient's pertinent symptoms, specifying the patient's Debilitating Medical Condition"
- "935 CMR 501.010, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "A certification shall indicate the time period for which the certification is valid, and may not be less than 15 calendar days or longer than one year, except that in the following circumstances, the certification may be valid for two years"
- "M.G.L. c. 94I, section 1 (definitions)" (malegislature.gov, read November 5, 2026): "Electronic certifications, upon submission by a healthcare professional to the commission, shall automatically generate a temporary registration."
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Temporary Patient Registration means an interim registration document for patients and their Personal Caregivers generated automatically upon the Commission's receipt of a Certifying Healthcare Provider's Electronic Certification."
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Temporary registration shall expire 14 days after the Commission issues the Registration Card or on the issuance and receipt of an annual Registration Card, whichever occurs first."
- "M.G.L. c. 94I, section 1 (definitions)" (malegislature.gov, read November 5, 2026): "'Medical marijuana establishment'', a fully integrated medical marijuana treatment center or any other type of licensed medical use of marijuana-related business."
- "M.G.L. c. 94I, section 1 (definitions)" (malegislature.gov, read November 5, 2026): "'Fully integrated medical marijuana treatment center'', an entity licensed by the commission with the ability to cultivate, manufacture, process and sell medical use marijuana to qualifying patients, personal caregivers and medical marijuana establishments."
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "formerly known as a Registered Marijuana Dispensary (RMD)"
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Marijuana Courier means an entity licensed to deliver Finished Marijuana Products, Marijuana Accessories and Branded Goods directly to Consumers from a Marijuana Retailer, or directly to Registered Qualifying Patients or Caregivers from an MTC"
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "60-day Supply means that amount of Marijuana, or equivalent amount of Marijuana in MIPs, that a Registered Qualifying Patient would reasonably be expected to need over a period of 60 calendar days for his or her personal medical use, which is ten ounces, subject to 935 CMR 501.010(9), unless otherwise determined by a Certifying Healthcare Provider"
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "14-day Supply means that amount of Marijuana, or equivalent amount of Marijuana in MIPs, that a Registered Qualifying Patient would reasonably be expected to need over a period of 14 calendar days for the Patient's personal medical use, which is 2.5 ounces, subject to 935 CMR 501.010(9), unless otherwise determined by a Certifying Healthcare Provider"
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Verified Financial Hardship means that an individual is a recipient of MassHealth, or Supplemental Security Income, or the individual's income does not exceed 300% of the federal poverty level, adjusted for family size."
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Hardship Cultivation Registration means a registration issued to a Registered Qualifying Patient under the requirements of 935 CMR 501.027"
- "935 CMR 501.002, Cornell Legal Information Institute" (law.cornell.edu, read November 5, 2026): "Other Jurisdiction means the United States, another state, or foreign jurisdiction, or a military, territorial or Native American tribal authority."
