Massachusetts would end its
$1.6 billion annual adult-use marijuana industry if two recently proposed ballot initiatives are approved.
Under two proposed voter initiatives submitted to the attorney general this summer, both called “An Act to Restore A Sensible Marijuana Policy,” key parts of Massachusetts’ recreational marijuana laws that allow for sales
would be modified or repealed, according to Boston.com.
Laws around medical cannabis would be untouched.
However, it’s far from clear whether the proposed initiatives can qualify for the 2026 ballot.
And once there, the likelihood of passage seems slim.
Supporters would have to collect 74,574 valid signatures from registered state voters by Nov. 19 in order to put the laws before the state Legislature.
If state lawmakers do not act, sponsors would have until next summer to collect more signatures to qualify them for the ballot.
And that’s only if the state approves the measures for circulation by Sept. 3, according to Boston.com.
First-ever repeal of adult-use cannabis sales
Filed by Caroline Cunningham, and signed by 14 others, the ballot questions seek to repeal Chapters 94G and 64N of the state’s General Laws around adult-use cannabis.
Massachusetts law now permits adults 21 or older to grow their own cannabis or purchase it from a regulated store.
They also can carry up to an ounce of marijuana and have up to 10 ounces in their homes.
If passed, the proposed ballot measures would still allow possession of 1 ounce or less of marijuana for adults 21 and older, including possession of up to 5 grams of cannabis concentrates.
Adults also would still be allowed to gift marijuana to other adults “as long as the transfer is not advertised or promoted to the public.”
That means an elimination of the state’s legal industry that records $1.6 billion in annual sales.
But anyone 21 or older who has more than 1 ounce but less than 2 ounces of cannabis would face civil fines of up to $100 and the confiscation of the cannabis.
Legal medical marijuana would be weaker
One of the ballot initiatives also would cap the THC content of marijuana flower at 30% and concentrates at 60%.
The other does not propose potency limitations.
In addition, the measures would repeal the 10.75% excise tax, which
generated $15 million in revenue in 2025, according to the state Department of Revenue.
Many retailers have said they’re
hamstrung by high taxes, causing a number to give up their licenses or allow them to expire.
However, legalization, which passed in 2016, remains popular.
Sixty-five percent of respondents to a
2024 MassInc poll said adult-use marijuana legalization was the right choice to only 22% who said it was the wrong move.
