Buy a shirt, get pot ‘gift’: Companies exploit law loophole
BOSTON — That ordinary bottle of juice delivered to your doorstep will set you back at least $55. But the bag of marijuana that comes with it? On the house.
Retail marijuana stores are months away from opening in Massachusetts, but some companies have been quietly operating for more than a year, selling and delivering marijuana via a legal loophole that exists in nearly every state that has legalized recreational marijuana use.
Companies like HighSpeed, which describes itself as a juice delivery service, are exploiting so-called “gifting” provisions that allow for the exchange of small amounts of the drug, so long as it’s given away — “gifted” — from one adult to another.
The legal language makes it permissible to pass a joint at a party or drop a bud in your brother’s Christmas stocking, but some entrepreneurs see it as an opportunity to get ahead of the regulated market, planting an early stake in what could become a crowded and lucrative industry.