§ 13 — Penalties

Massachusetts § 13

• Jurisdiction: Massachusetts
• Part I: ADMINISTRATION OF THE GOVERNMENT
• Title XV: REGULATION OF TRADE
• Ch. 94G: REGULATION OF THE USE AND DISTRIBUTION OF MARIJUANA NOT MEDICALLY PRESCRIBED

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Section 13. Penalties(a) Restrictions on personal cultivation. No person shall cultivate or process marijuana plants pursuant to section 8 of this chapter if the plants are visible from a public place without the use of binoculars, aircraft or other optical aids or cultivate or process marijuana plants outside of an area that is equipped with a lock or other security device. A person who violates this subsection shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $300 and forfeiture of the marijuana, but shall not be subject to any other form of criminal or civil punishment or disqualification solely for this conduct.(b) Restrictions on personal possession. No person shall possess more than 1 ounce of marijuana or marijuana products within the person's place of residence pursuant to section 8 of this chapter unless the marijuana and marijuana products are secured by a lock. A person who violates this subsection shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $100 and forfeiture of the marijuana.(c) Restrictions on public consumption of marijuana. No person shall consume marijuana in a public place or smoke marijuana where smoking tobacco is prohibited. A person who violates this subsection shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $100. This subsection shall not apply to a person who consumes marijuana or marijuana products in a designated area of a marijuana establishment located in a city or town that has voted to allow consumption on the premises where sold and shall not be construed to limit the medical use of marijuana.(d) Possession of marijuana in motor vehicles. No person shall, upon any way or in any place to which the public has a right of access, or upon any way or in any place to which members of the public have access as invitees or licensees, possess an open container of marijuana or marijuana products in the passenger area of any motor vehicle. A person who violates this subjection shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $500. For purposes of this section, ''open container'' shall mean that the package containing marijuana or marijuana products has its seal broken or from which the contents have been partially removed or consumed and ''passenger area'' shall mean the area designed to seat the driver and passengers while the motor vehicle is in operation and any area that is readily accessible to the driver or passenger while in a seated position; provided however that the passenger area shall not include a motor vehicle's trunk, locked glove compartment or the living quarters of a house coach or house trailer, or if a motor vehicle is not equipped with a trunk, the area behind the last upright seat or an area not normally occupied by the driver or passenger.(e) Possession or cultivation of excess marijuana. Notwithstanding chapter 94C of the General Laws and until the import or export of marijuana to or from the commonwealth is not prohibited by federal law, a person who is at least 21 years of age and who cultivates more than 6 but not more than 12 marijuana plants or who possesses an amount of marijuana outside of his or her place of residence having a weight of more than 1 ounce but not more than 2 ounces shall be subject only to a civil penalty of not more than $100 and forfeiture of the marijuana not allowed by section 8 of this chapter, but shall not be subject to any other form of criminal or civil punishment or disqualification solely for this conduct.(f) Procurement of marijuana by a person under 21 years of age. A person under 21 years of age, except a qualifying patient holding a valid registration card for the medical use of marijuana, who purchases or attempts to purchase marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories, or makes arrangements with any person to purchase or in any way procure marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories, or who willfully misrepresents such person's age, or in any way alters, defaces or otherwise falsifies identification offered as proof of age, with the intent of purchasing marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories, shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $100 and shall complete a drug awareness program established pursuant to section 32M of chapter 94C of the General Laws. The parents or legal guardian of any offender under the age of 18 shall be notified in accordance with section 32N of chapter 94C of the General Laws and the failure within 1 year of the offense of such an offender to complete a drug awareness program may be a basis for delinquency proceedings for persons under the age of 17 at the time of the person's offense.(g) Enforcement. Civil penalties imposed pursuant to this section shall be enforced by utilizing the non-criminal disposition procedures provided in section 32N of chapter 94C of the General Laws.(h) Notwithstanding chapter 94C, a person less than 21 years of age, except a qualifying patient holding a valid registration card for the medical use of marijuana, who cultivates not more than 12 marijuana plants shall be punished by a civil penalty of not more than $100 and shall complete a drug awareness program established pursuant to section 32M of chapter 94C. If that person is less than 18 years of age, the parent or legal guardian of that person shall be notified in accordance with section 32N of said chapter 94C. If a person is less than 17 years of age at the time of the offense and fails to complete a drug awareness program not later than 1 year after the offense, that person may be subject to delinquency proceedings.(i) Whoever furnishes marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories to a person less than 21 years of age, either for the person's own use or for the use of the person's parent or another person shall be punished by a fine of not more than $2,000 or by imprisonment for not more than 1 year or both such fine and imprisonment.For the purposes of this subsection, ''furnish'' shall mean to knowingly or intentionally supply, give or provide to or allow a person less than 21 years of age, except for the children and grandchildren of the person being charged, to possess marijuana, marijuana products or marijuana accessories on premises or property owned or controlled by the person charged.This subsection shall not apply to the sale, delivery or furnishing of medical marijuana pursuant to chapter 94I.