Text your customers within Massachusetts’s cannabis advertising rules

Massachusetts has an adult-use and medical cannabis program

Retail licensing and advertising rules are enforced by the Cannabis Control Commission. For billboards, social media and other channels, see our cannabis advertising rules beyond texting.

These Massachusetts rules bear on texting customers

The Commission treats information a consumer specifically requests as a personalized message rather than advertising, and a 2026 statute lets the Commission permit discount and loyalty messaging through an opt-in email list, though the current regulations still apply until new ones are adopted.

• 935 CMR 500.105(4)(b)2. prohibits advertising by internet, mobile applications, social media or other electronic communication unless at least 85% of the audience is reasonably expected to be 21 or older, based on reliable and current audience composition data.
• The Commission treats information a consumer specifically requests from a licensee as a personalized message rather than "Advertising", while messages sent to consumers who did not request them and that offer no opt out are advertisements (Cannabis Control Commission bulletin, Advertising Compliance regarding Chapter 65 (Sept. 25, 2026); 935 CMR 500.002 (definition of Advertising)).
• 935 CMR 500.105(4)(b)20. prohibits advertising through free promotional items, including giveaways, discounts, points-based rewards, customer loyalty programs, coupons and free marijuana, with narrow exceptions for employee discounts and branded take-away bags.
• Chapter 65 of the Acts of 2026 amended the statute so the Commission may permit advertising of sales, discounts and loyalty programs inside an establishment or through an opt-in email list; the Commission states current regulations apply until new ones are promulgated (G.L. c. 94G, s. 4(a1/2)(xxix)(6), as amended by St. 2026, c. 65, s. 21 (effective April 19, 2026)).
• 935 CMR 500.105(4)(b)18. and (a)6. prohibits advertising the price of marijuana or marijuana products, except that an establishment may post prices in the store, answer pricing questions and post its price list on its website.
• Advertising created for viewing by the public must include the statement "Please Consume Responsibly" and at least two of the listed health warnings, conspicuously on the face of the advertisement (935 CMR 500.105(4)(a)7.).
• All advertising for marijuana or marijuana products must also include a statutory warning stating the product has not been analyzed or approved by the FDA, along with other listed health statements (935 CMR 500.105(4)(a)8.).
• 935 CMR 500.105(4)(b)4. prohibits advertising, including mascots, cartoons and celebrity endorsements, that is deemed to appeal to a person younger than 21.
• 935 CMR 500.105(4)(b)1. and 7. prohibits advertising that asserts products are safe or have curative or therapeutic effects unless supported by substantial evidence or clinical data, and prohibits deceptive, misleading, false or fraudulent advertising.

Start with consent, your store name and an opt-out line

• Text only people who opted in, and keep the record of when and how they did. Our guide to SMS opt-in and consent for dispensaries covers what to record.
• Put your store name first and an opt-out line on every text.
• Keep product details, prices and offers on an age-gated page rather than in the text, and check the wording against our list of banned words in cannabis texts.

Sticky SMS, by Sticky Cards, the loyalty and marketing platform for cannabis dispensaries, files your 10DLC registration with The Campaign Registry, with no charge for the number or the registration, and most stores are live in 1 to 2 days. How Massachusetts’s rules apply to your program stays with you and your counsel.

Work with Sticky Cards in Massachusetts

• Run a dispensary, CBD or vape shop in Massachusetts? Book a demo to see Sticky SMS.
• Run a texting agency in Massachusetts? Sticky Cards is looking for expert texting partner agencies in Massachusetts. Email support@stickycards.co to talk about working together.