A coalition of 63 Massachusetts state lawmakers, including House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, has announced its opposition to a November ballot initiative that would repeal the state’s recreational marijuana sales law.
The lawmakers announced their support Friday for the No on 8: Stop the Repeal campaign, which is working to defeat Question 8 in the November 3 election. The endorsements include legislators from both chambers and both major political parties, representing one of the campaign’s largest coordinated displays of legislative support.
Among those joining Mariano and Spilka are Senators Liz Miranda, Barry Finegold, Julian Cyr, William Brownsberger, Patricia Jehlen and Dylan Fernandes, along with Representatives Lindsay Sabadosa, Jay Livingstone, Mike Connolly, Natalie Higgins and Tram Nguyen.
Question 8 would repeal the laws allowing licensed recreational marijuana businesses to operate in Massachusetts, while maintaining the state’s medical marijuana program and allowing adults 21 and older to possess up to one ounce without penalty. The proposal would also eliminate the existing framework for recreational home cultivation. If approved, the changes would take effect January 1, 2028.
Senator Miranda said reversing legalization would threaten businesses established through the state’s social equity programs and could lead to renewed disparities in marijuana enforcement. Senator Finegold pointed to the state’s more than 400 licensed retailers and the approximately $250 million in annual tax revenue he said they generate.
The campaign also highlighted the financial consequences of eliminating recreational marijuana sales. According to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth’s official voter information, marijuana retail taxes generated approximately $280 million for the state and another $50 million for local governments during fiscal year 2025.
Ryan Dominguez, chair of the Stop the Repeal campaign, said ending regulated recreational sales would threaten businesses, tax revenue and public programs supported by marijuana revenue. Supporters of Question 8, meanwhile, argue that ending commercial recreational sales would address concerns involving public health, impaired driving and high-potency marijuana products while preserving medical access and limited adult possession.
Massachusetts voters approved recreational marijuana legalization in 2016, and licensed sales began in 2018. A decade after that original vote, Question 8 will give voters the opportunity to decide whether to maintain the existing commercial marijuana market or repeal it.
