Massachusetts state officials have rejected a challenge to a proposed initiative to repeal the legalization of marijuana sales, clearing the way for the measure to appear on the November general election ballot. Voters will decide on the repeal initiative this fall after the State Ballot Commission ruled against an objection filed to challenge petition signatures supporting the proposal, Marijuana Moment reported on Tuesday.
The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office announced earlier this month that supporters of the proposed repeal initiative had collected enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot. If passed, the measure sponsored by the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts would outlaw recreational cannabis sales and home cannabis cultivation, although possession of marijuana by adults would remain legal. The measure would not affect the state’s regulated medical cannabis program, including commercial cultivation and sales of medical marijuana products.
Pot Advocate Files Objection To Cannabis Legalization Repeal Initiative
After state officials determined that backers of the repeal had collected enough signatures, cannabis policy reform advocate Kevin Gilnack filed an objection with the State Ballot Commission, claiming that some signatures were not valid, were collected fraudulently or were not “signed substantially as registered.” The objection also alleged that some ballot petitions contained extraneous marks or otherwise failed to meet state requirements.
The commission held a hearing last week to weigh the claims in Gilnack’s objection, hearing testimony from a forensic document examiner and a handwriting expert. The commission rejected the objection on Tuesday, writing in a 16-page decision that it “finds, rules and concludes that the Objector has not met his burden of proof to disqualify enough signatures on the initiative petition.”
“The Commission overrules Objector’s challenges to the initiative petition and the Secretary is ordered to print the ballot question on the November 3, 2026, State Election Ballot,” the body concluded.
Weed Legalization Foes And Advocates React
Advocates on both sides of the legalization debate weighed in on the commission’s decision. Wendy Wakeman, a spokesperson for the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts, said that “the people of Massachusetts deserve the opportunity to vote on this issue.”
“Today’s decision closes one chapter,” she added. “Now the real conversation begins. Between now and Election Day, we’ll make the case directly to the people of Massachusetts that it’s time to put public health and community well-being ahead of the commercial marijuana industry.”
Cannabis policy reform advocates were also quick to react and urged voters to reject the initiative. Ryan Dominguez, chair of the Stop the Repeal Campaign, said supporters are of legal marijuana are “disappointed that the Ballot Law Commission did not agree with our findings that hundreds of signatures gathered by those trying to repeal the legalization of recreational marijuana did not meet the threshold needed for certification.”
“Our focus remains on the important work of maintaining this law,” he said. “Our campaign of public health officials, law enforcement, small business owners and advocates will educate voters about the serious economic and public safety impact a repeal of our highly regulated marijuana industry would have on our state.”
“We are confident voters will uphold what they previously voted to legalize in 2016 and vote ‘No’ to stop the repeal effort,” Dominguez said. “My colleagues in the industry have been committed to defeating this damaging ballot question from day one, and with today’s ruling I know that we will redouble our efforts to make sure we stop this ill-advised repeal.”
Paul Armentano, deputy director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), said that “There’s no ‘buyer’s remorse’ among Massachusetts’ voters when it comes to legalizing cannabis and this fact will become even clearer come November.”
“That’s because these policies are largely working as intended and because Massachusetts voters prefer legalization and regulation over the failed policy of marijuana prohibition,” Armentano said in a statement from the cannabis policy reform advocacy group.
The marijuana legalization rollback initiative will appear as Question 8 on Massachusetts ballots for the general election held on November 3, the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office announced after the commission announced its decision.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
