Massachusetts: Democrats Overwhelmingly Reject Ballot Proposal to Repeal Adult-Use Marijuana Legalization

Nearly eight in ten Democratic voters in Massachusetts say they oppose a November ballot measure that seeks to repeal key elements of Massachusetts’ voter-approved marijuana legalization law. Registered Democrats outnumber Republican voters in Massachusetts by a margin of 3 to 1.

Seventy-nine percent of Democratic primary voters say that they support keeping Massachusetts’ legalization laws in place, according to the poll — which was compiled by the Suffolk University Political Research Center and The Boston Globe.

A prior poll reported that 63 percent of all Massachusetts’ voters, including 69 percent of registered Independents, oppose repealing the law. Approximately two-thirds of state voters are registered as Independents.

“There’s no ‘buyer’s remorse’ among Massachusetts’ voters when it comes to legalizing cannabis and this fact will become even clearer come November,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “That’s because these policies are largely working as intended and because Massachusetts voters prefer legalization and regulation over the failed policy of marijuana prohibition.”

The November ballot measure (An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy a/k/a Question 8) seeks to repeal decade-old laws permitting adults to home-cultivate marijuana and regulating the adult-use retail cannabis market, among other changes. Financing for the campaign has come entirely from a single out-of-state special interest group. 

The vote will mark the first time that voters have ever decided on a ballot measure to repeal an existing adult-use marijuana legalization law. Massachusetts’ voters approved legalization in 2016.

 NORML has several resources and fact sheets opposing the initiative campaign available in Election Central. Additional information is available from https://stoptherepealma.com/.

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