Massachusetts voters have overwhelmingly rejected ballot Question 8, which sought to repeal key elements of the state’s voter-approved adult-use marijuana legalization law. With over 80 percent of the vote counted, the measure trails by an estimated 3 to 1 margin. The outcome was not unexpected. The initiative trailed in multiple polls leading up to Election Day and it was publicly opposed by dozens of high-profile state and federal officials.
There’s no ‘buyer’s remorse’ among voters when it comes to legalizing and regulating marijuana,” NORML’s Deputy Director Paul Armentano said. “In fact, more Massachusetts voters support legalization today than did a decade ago, and these election results prove it.”
He added: “Proponents of this failed effort spent millions of dollars to, in their own words, reset the conversation around cannabis policy. They found out the hard way that the public hasn’t changed their minds. Americans favor legalization and regulation over the failed policy of marijuana prohibition.”
Specifically, Question 8 sought to repeal decade-old laws permitting adults to grow personal use amounts of marijuana at home and regulating the adult-use retail cannabis market. Financing for the campaign has come almost exclusively from a single out-of-state special interest group. The vote marked the first time that voters ever had the option at the ballot box to reconsider legalization.
“This campaign was never about promoting the health and safety of Massachusetts residents,” Armentano concluded. “It was a trial balloon by prohibitionist groups intent upon rolling back legal cannabis markets nationwide. This decisive election day defeat will likely cause these groups, and those who fund them, to reconsider those plans.”
Additional information on Election Day results is available from NORML’s Election Central.