Paid signature gatherers for the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts are being accused of using deceptive tactics to collect signatures for initiatives that would repeal the state’s marijuana legalization law.
The group is seeking to place two questions on the 2026 ballot that would repeal Massachusetts’ existing marijuana legalization law, approved by voters in 2016.
“Online news, social media, and the personal experiences of multiple voters across Massachusetts clearly demonstrate that these for-hire, out-of-state signature crews are using deceptive tactics to trick people into signing the petitions needed for the cannabis repeal questions to appear on the ballot,” said David O’Brien, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Cannabis Business Association.
According to O’Brien, residents have reported that signature gatherers falsely claim the petitions would help prevent youth arrests related to marijuana possession, though the actual text of the proposals contains no such language.
“These out-of-state crews go from state to state collecting signatures and clearly they’re having trouble here in Massachusetts finding people who want to repeal our highly effective cannabis laws and kill our successful cannabis industry,” O’Brien said. “This is voter fraud that people should report to their local town hall.”
Voters in several communities, including Burlington, Chicopee, Brockton, Longmeadow, and Westfield, have reported instances of misleading or fraudulent signature gathering. In Waltham, residents said collectors presented fake cover sheets for unrelated causes such as affordable housing or same-day voter registration.
Boston Center for Investigative Journalism co-founder Chris Faraone has also documented similar incidents outside retail locations in Hanover and Weymouth. Other reports describe claims that the petitions would strengthen fentanyl testing requirements for marijuana or expand buffer zones between dispensaries and schools, neither of which is true.
Since adult-use marijuana sales began in 2018, Massachusetts has generated nearly $2 billion in state and local tax revenue from the industry, supporting programs in public health, education, and local government.
“Voters going to the polls on Election Day next Tuesday should expect signature gatherers to be at polling places throughout the state,” said Meg Sanders, CEO of Canna Provisions, an employee-owned dispensary with stores in Lee and Holyoke. “Know what you are signing. Take your time and read the petition language. If it doesn’t say what the collector claims, don’t sign it.”
Residents who believe they were misled into signing are urged to contact their local Town Clerk and request that their signatures not be certified on Petitions 1D or 1E.
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