The national anti-cannabis advocacy group behind the effort to convince voters to recriminalize the state’s $1.6 billion annual adult-use marijuana industry is outspending industry supporters by a more than 2-to-1 margin, campaign finance records show.
Through the end of August, SAM Action Inc., the political arm of legalization foe Smart Approaches to Marijuana, has committed nearly $3.2 million to the so-called Coalition for Healthy Massachusetts.
That’s the campaign committee behind Question 8, which if passed at the ballot in November would see Massachusetts become the first state to ban adult-use cannabis sales after years of a successful industry.
Medical marijuana sales would continue, and adult-use cannabis possession would remain legal.
Where is the money opposing Massachusetts cannabis coming from?
SAM is also the main antagonist of other cannabis reform measures including federal marijuana rescheduling.
The organization fought in the courts President Donald Trump’s push to reclassify MMJ as a Schedule 3 drug and also organized testimony opposing moving all marijuana to Schedule 3 at historic Drug Enforcement Administration hearings in July.
That figure seems certain to rise as the campaign reported spending nearly $2.2 million alone on its controversial signature gathering campaign.
Critics accused paid workers for the campaign of deceiving voters into signing petitions to qualify the measure for the November ballot. Such unscrupulous tactics are constitutionally protected free-speech activity, courts have found.
The repeal campaign also appears to have some convincing to do among voters.
According to Statehouse News, a recent UMass/WCVB poll found only 33% of 800 registered voters in support of repealing adult-use cannabis sales, compared to 55% opposed.
Is the cannabis industry raising money to save Massachusetts legalization?
In response, the cannabis industry, including major marijuana multistate operators, raised roughly $1.54 million through the end of August, campaign finance records show.
The top individual donors are:
- Massachusetts-based MSO Insa, with $255,000
- The Retailers Association of Massachusetts, $100,000
- MSO Ascend Wellness Holdings, $100,000
Other major MSOs have made more modest contributions.
- Verano Holding Corp., $50,000
- Curaleaf Holdings, $41,875
- Cresco Labs, $41,875
The sometimes controversial Democratic Socialists of America, a leftwing political organization that’s notched victories in some key primary elections ahead of the midterm elections, also registered a campaign committee in support of keeping cannabis sales legal, records show.
However, that outfit has yet to raise significant funds, according to records.
Both campaigns have similar amounts of cash on hand: roughly $980,000 for the repeal campaign, and about $947,000 for the opposition.
What are Massachusetts cannabis sales to date?
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Meanwhile, cumulative cannabis sales in Massachusetts since voters approved legalization in 2016 topped $10 billion as of earlier this month, according to the state Cannabis Control Commission.
“An industry that isn’t even a decade old has become an integral part of our economy, counting hundreds of businesses of all sizes and employing nearly 15,000 people,” Chris Harding, chairman of the CCC, said in a press release.
The CCC is not taking an active role in the Question 8 campaign.
Chris Roberts can be reached at chris.roberts@mjbizdaily.com.
