Question #8 would repeal much of the legalization, regulation, and taxation of the retail sale of adult recreational use marijuana. It would also change the penalties for possession of marijuana; it does not, however, change the rules around medical marijuana. Among other things, Question 8 would eliminate:
- The legal and licensed sale and production of recreational marijuana;
- State and local tax collections from the sale of legal marijuana;
- The right to grow marijuana at home;
- The testing regime for recreational marijuana (which helps ensure safety);
- The plan to allow cannabis bars for on-site consumption;
- Social equity programs connected to marijuana tax revenue and licensing rules.
So, first of all, I’ll note that “prohibition” is never really the answer to an issue like this. I thought we should have learned that between 1920 and 1933 and the 18th and 21st amendments.
But more specifically, the arguments in favor of repeal are simply unsupported by the facts. Dr. Jeffrey Morgan, a retired MD (and the author of the arguments on behalf of the sponsors in the Information for Voters pamphlet), makes the following claims about marijuana and driving:
- Since commercial legalization, marijuana is now the most common drug found in fatal car accidents in Massachusetts;
- 85% of marijuana users admit to driving after and over 50% drive within an hour or less;
- Business owners have increased costs from higher rates of workplace injuries, increased healthcare costs, and higher turnover;
- For every $1 gained in tax revenue, taxpayers spend $4.50 to mitigate the effects of legalization from societal expenses including increased healthcare, lost productivity, and crime (like DUI’s).
But those claims are simply not supported by the facts. First of all it should be noted:
- There is currently no test for marijuana impairment;
- Most fatal accidents in which marijuana was found in the driver’s system also found alcohol in the driver’s system;
- Finding marijuana in a driver’s system does not prove that marijuana was the cause of the accident. Marijuana metabolites can remain detectable after the period of intoxication, and even the presence of active THC does not reliably establish the degree of impairment or that there was any impairment;
- The claim about the $4.50 social costs come from a single 2018 report commissioned by the Centennial Institute at Colorado Christian University, rather than anything from Massachusetts;
- It’s not clear from what source he derived some of his other claims.
He also makes the claim that:
- As a result of commercial marijuana, ER visits in Massachusetts have drastically increased for teenagers with psychiatric conditions.
This is essentially a red hearing. Teenagers are already prohibited from purchasing marijuana. One has to be 21 to purchase it legally.
Finally, the he argues that:
- Modern concentrates and edibles have been linked to mental health conditions like psychosis, severe anxiety, and schizophrenia, particularly in young adults.
This is true, but it’s not going to be solved by repealing legalized marijuana. It’s much more likely that careful regulation and supervision by the Cannabis Control Commission will help in this area.
It’s also concerning that the group bank-rolling this proposal is Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action, which is a national organization headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. That organization is headed by Kevin Sabet, a longtime advocate of restrictive marijuana policies.
On the other hand, there are quite a few negatives associated with repealing legalized recreational marijuana. These include:
- The lost revenue to cities and towns;
- Driving a lot of marijuana sales back into the illicit market;
- Driving some marijuana sales across state lines, where CT, VT, RI, NY, and ME all have legalized recreational marijuana;
- Shutting down a number of successful small businesses and the jobs that they represent;
- Repealing the rules and regulations that currently control the production and sale of marijuana.
The Boston Globe reports that since legalization, stores have sold more than $10 billion in marijuana products in the recreational market, generating nearly $2 billion in tax dollars. There are also nearly 800 recreational marijuana businesses operating and employing Massachusetts residents, plus ancillary businesses that provide services to the stores. Shutting down the recreational industry would force businesses to close, put employees out of work, and also lose the money of investors. That problem is complicated by the fact that marijuana businesses lack access to federal bankruptcy court because cannabis remains illegal under federal law.
I should also point out that Massachusetts enacted a major reform bill for the Cannabis Control Commission (Chapter 65 of the Acts of 2026). That enactment doesn’t really impact this particular question much — it’s mostly a response to the long-running feud between Treasurer Deb Goldberg and CCC Chair Shannon O’Brien (who ironically was also once the State Treasurer) — but it does indicate that the Commonwealth is taking this industry seriously.
There were other reforms in that legislation, and before we throw the baby out with the bathwater it might be wise to see how those reforms play out.