By Matt Macosko — March 11, 2026
Someone put a measure on the Massachusetts ballot to repeal marijuana legalization. The voters’ response? Not a chance.
A new poll from the University of New Hampshire Survey Center shows 63% of Massachusetts voters oppose the repeal measure, with only 20% supporting it. That’s not a close call — that’s a blowout. Even more telling: 74% of Democrats and 69% of Independents are against rolling things back. Massachusetts legalized recreational cannabis in 2016, and a decade later, the people who live with it every day have zero interest in going backwards.
Follow the Money
The repeal campaign — officially titled “An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy” — is funded almost entirely by out-of-state dark money sources. Let that sink in. People from other states are spending money to tell Massachusetts residents they made the wrong choice. The arrogance is something.
The measure would repeal laws permitting home cultivation and shut down the regulated adult-use retail market. Basically, turn the clock back to prohibition and pretend the last ten years didn’t happen.
No Buyer’s Remorse
Paul Armentano, NORML’s Deputy Director, summed it up perfectly: “There’s no buyer’s remorse among the public when it comes to legalizing cannabis. That’s because these policies are largely working as intended.”
He’s right. The sky didn’t fall. Crime didn’t skyrocket. Communities didn’t collapse. What happened was tax revenue, jobs, and people stopped getting arrested for a plant. The system works. It’s not perfect — no system is — but it’s a hell of a lot better than throwing people in cages.
A Warning Shot
Massachusetts isn’t the only state dealing with this. Similar repeal efforts are brewing in Arizona for 2026 and Maine for 2027. The anti-cannabis lobby hasn’t given up — they’ve just shifted from blocking legalization to trying to undo it.
But if the Massachusetts numbers are any indication, they’re wasting their money. Once people experience legal, regulated cannabis, they don’t want to go back. That’s not opinion — that’s 63% of voters telling you directly.
To the dark money groups funding these repeal campaigns: read the room.