Massachusetts voters will officially decide this November whether to repeal much of the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law after election officials certified that the initiative has qualified for the statewide ballot.
The Elections Division within the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office notified organizers on Thursday that the campaign submitted enough valid signatures during the second round of petitioning to secure a place on the November ballot. The certification marks the final procedural hurdle before voters weigh in on the proposal.
The initiative would dismantle the state’s adult-use marijuana market by repealing the laws allowing licensed recreational marijuana sales. It would also eliminate the right for adults 21 and older to grow marijuana at home, while preserving limited possession protections for adults. Medical marijuana would remain legal under the proposal.
The measure has advanced despite months of legal challenges and criticism from marijuana advocates, who argued that some voters were misled while signing petitions. In June, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court rejected a challenge to the attorney general’s certification of the proposal, allowing organizers to continue collecting signatures needed for ballot qualification.
Opponents have already launched a campaign urging voters to reject the initiative, arguing that repealing legalization would eliminate thousands of jobs, reduce tax revenue and strengthen the illicit marijuana market.
Polling shows the repeal effort may face an uphill battle. As previously reported by The Marijuana Herald, a recent Massachusetts poll found that 62% of residents oppose repealing the state’s adult-use marijuana law, compared with 30% who support doing so and 8% who are undecided.
Massachusetts voters approved legalizing recreational marijuana in 2016 with 53.6% support. Licensed adult-use marijuana sales began in November 2018, making Massachusetts the first state on the East Coast to launch regulated recreational marijuana sales.
