Chelsea, MA Public Conduct: Public Marijuana Use (2026)

Section 16-98 folds marijuana and tetrahydrocannabinol into the same public-nuisance ordinance that bans open alcohol containers, and its findings section explains why: the city council notes that while Massachusetts decriminalized possession of under an ounce of marijuana, the state also authorized municipalities to restrict and prohibit public use and consumption of marijuana within their own jurisdictions, and Chelsea exercised that authority. c. 94C, § 1, anywhere in, upon or within the boundary of a street, passageway, sidewalk, footway, bridge, park, playground, recreation area, boat landing, building, cemetery, parking lot, or other public land or building owned or controlled by the city, plus buses and other common-carrier conveyances; the ordinance specifically states that smoking counts as consumption.

Simple possession of marijuana or tetrahydrocannabinol in those same public locations is separately prohibited under subsection (b)(1)b, and distributing, serving or consuming it on city-owned property or at a municipal event is barred under subsection (b)(1)c. 00 for a third and beyond. c. 94C, § 1 are instead routed into a mandatory drug awareness program of at least four hours of classroom instruction or group discussion plus ten hours of community service, with a completion certificate filed at the Chelsea District Court on Broadway Street, and a required notice mailed to a parent or guardian.