To ensure the public health and safety of patient and consumer access to medical and adult use of marijuana in the Commonwealth

What it means

The House's rewrite of the voter-approved law legalizing marijuana for adults. It repeals the existing marijuana chapters and replaces them with a new law creating a 5-member Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, appointed by the Governor, Attorney General and Treasurer, which would license and regulate both adult-use and medical marijuana businesses; the medical program moves to the commission from the Department of Public Health. Adult-use sellers would pay a state excise of 16.75 per cent of gross retail revenue plus a 5 per cent excise that goes to the host city or town, on top of the sales tax. A city or town could reject marijuana businesses by vote of its city council and mayor, or in a town by the selectmen and town meeting, and businesses must sign host community agreements; the bill also creates a hemp program, a special commission on driving under the influence, and public awareness campaigns.

Source: official text and history of H.3776 on malegislature.gov. This describes the bill text posted there; amendments may have changed the version that was voted on.