In a press release Friday, the Cannabis Control Commission reminded residents that even possessing, much less consuming, cannabis on federal waterways remains illegal, due to its continued (albeit controversial) classification as a prohibited Schedule 1 drug.
“The Commission expects adults who choose to consume cannabis in Massachusetts to know the laws, including the federal restrictions that are still in place,” CCC commissioner Jennifer Flanagan said. “If you are planning to take a boat ride this summer in federal waters, leave your cannabis at home.”
Even if it’s in your privately owned boat and you’re not using the drug, bringing any amount of marijuana on federal waters runs aground of the law. That includes the areas patrolled by the Coast Guard off the New England coast, including Boston Harbor, as well as Lake Champlain (similarly, marijuana remains prohibited on federal lands within states that have legalized the drug, like the Cape Cod National Seashore and Acadia National Park in Maine).
Even though Massachusetts is entering its first summer with a legal marijuana market, a CCC spokesperson said Monday that the regulatory agency haven’t received any recent complaints about increased cannabis-related activity in local waters. Rather, officials sensed the season was “a timely opportunity to remind Massachusetts residents of some of the lesser-known exceptions to legalization.”