Massachusetts cannabis businesses and their allies launched a campaign Thursday to defeat a controversial voter initiative, set to qualify for the November ballot, that would repeal adult-use sales in the $1.65 billion market.
The Stop the Repeal campaign debuted on the steps of the State House in Boston and drew support from cannabis business owners as well as healthcare professionals and elected officials.
Is the cannabis industry fighting the Massachusetts marijuana sales repeal effort?
“Stop the Repeal is focused on protecting the highly regulated marijuana industry in Massachusetts,” said campaign chair Ryan Dominguez, the executive director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition.
“Since legalization, the marijuana industry has brought in close to $2 billion in state and local revenue, generating hundreds of millions of dollars annually in support of public health, community investments and public safety,” he said in a statement Thursday.
“We look forward to standing alongside our allies as we educate voters and fight back against out-of-state special interest groups pushing this regressive policy,” the statement added.
Can the cannabis industry win a political fundraising battle?
The ballot question, backed by the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts, would end legal recreational cannabis sales while preserving the state’s medical marijuana program and allowing limited possession.
“The impetus behind the question continues to be the safety of marijuana as a drug consumed by people without regulation,” coalition spokesperson Wendy Wakeman told Axios Boston.
If voters approve it, the changes would take effect Jan. 1, 2028. There are currently 410 licensed adult-use marijuana stores across the state, according to state Cannabis Control Commission data.
Campaign finance records point to a steep climb for the industry. The coalition raised $1.6 million between Sept. 18 and Dec. 31 of last year, according to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance.
All of it is from SAM Action Inc., the political advocacy arm of national anti-cannabis organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana.
SAM, which is also leading the legal and procedural challenges against federal marijuana rescheduling, is also the main bankroller of a similar repeal effort in Maine.
The pro-cannabis and anti-repeal campaign, called the Committee to Protect Cannabis Regulations, had raised just $10,050 through the end of last year, nearly all of it from vape company Fernway LLC.
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Is Massachusetts going to repeal adult-use marijuana sales?
The measure recently cleared a legal challenge last week when the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court allowed it to proceed to the November ballot.
However, supporters must complete a final round of signature-gathering to qualify.
Industry advocates say a repeal would eliminate jobs, cut tax revenue and push consumers back into the unregulated market.
