Massachusetts ballot measure · November 3, 2026

Massachusetts Question 8, explained

Ending retail sale of recreational marijuana. A ballot measure is a yes-or-no question put directly to voters — no candidate is involved, and the wording on the ballot is the wording that becomes law. This page shows that wording first, then what it actually changes.

The official wording

QUESTION 8: Law Proposed by Initiative Petition — Prohibit Retail Sale of Adult Recreational Use Marijuana. Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives before May 6, 2026? SUMMARY (written by the State Attorney General, as required by law): The proposed law would change the type and amount of marijuana that may legally be possessed in Massachusetts by repealing the laws that legalize, regulate, and tax the retail sale of adult recreational use marijuana in Massachusetts. The proposed law would also permit persons 21 years of age and older to possess 1 ounce or less of marijuana including no more than 5 grams in the form of concentrate, and to gift or transfer to another person 21 years of age and older 1 ounce or less of marijuana including no more than 5 grams in the form of concentrate. The proposed law would also impose a civil penalty of $100 and forfeiture of the marijuana for the possession of marijuana between the weight of 1 and 2 ounces. For persons 21 years of age and younger, the proposed law would make the possession of 2 ounces or less of marijuana a civil infraction subject to a $100 fine, forfeiture of the marijuana, completion of a drug awareness program and community service, and notification to their parents or legal guardian of the offense and penalties. The proposed law would allow currently licensed adult recreational marijuana businesses to apply on an expedited basis to become a licensed medical marijuana dispensary and to sell their remaining inventory of adult recreational marijuana to medical marijuana dispensaries. The proposed law would retain the Cannabis Control Commission but modify its authority so it would regulate only the medical marijuana market. The proposed law states that, if any of its parts were declared invalid, the other parts would stay in effect. The proposed law would take effect on January 1, 2028.

This is what appears on the ballot. Everything below explains it.

What it actually means

Massachusetts voters legalised and regulated recreational marijuana sales in 2016. Question 8 would repeal the retail side of that: no licensed recreational stores, no tax on recreational sales. Adults 21 and over could still possess up to an ounce and give that much away; possession between one and two ounces would carry a $100 civil fine. Medical marijuana would continue, and existing recreational businesses could apply to become medical dispensaries. It would take effect January 1, 2028. If approved, Massachusetts would be the first state to repeal a voter-approved marijuana legalisation law.

If you vote YES

The official statement of effect: "A YES VOTE would prohibit the legalization, regulation, and taxation of the retail sale of adult recreational use marijuana, and change the penalties for possession of marijuana."
Adults 21 and over could possess up to 1 ounce, including no more than 5 grams of concentrate, and gift or transfer that much to another adult 21 or over.
Possession of between 1 and 2 ounces would carry a $100 civil penalty and forfeiture. For people 21 and younger, possession of 2 ounces or less would be a civil infraction with a $100 fine, forfeiture, a drug awareness programme, community service and notice to a parent or guardian.
Licensed recreational businesses could apply on an expedited basis to become medical marijuana dispensaries and sell remaining recreational inventory to medical dispensaries. The Cannabis Control Commission would continue but regulate only the medical market.
The state's fiscal statement says repeal would reduce what state and municipal governments collect from taxing those sales: in fiscal year 2025 that taxation raised approximately $280 million in state revenue and $50 million in local revenue.
The law would take effect January 1, 2028, with a severability clause.

If you vote NO

The official statement of effect: "A NO VOTE would make no change to the law relative to marijuana."
Licensed recreational marijuana stores would continue to operate under Cannabis Control Commission regulation, with products tested, packaged and labelled under state rules and sold to adults 21 and over.
State and local governments would continue to collect marijuana tax revenue — about $280 million to the state and $50 million to municipalities in fiscal 2025.
Possession limits and penalties would stay as they are under the current law, and medical marijuana would continue unchanged.

The numbers that matter

State revenue from taxing recreational sales, fiscal year 2025: approximately $280 million
Local revenue from taxing recreational sales, fiscal year 2025: approximately $50 million
Date the repeal would take effect: January 1, 2028

Why supporters say YES

"Question 8 would keep personal possession of marijuana legal, keep medical marijuana legal, and stop commercial marijuana stores… Since commercial legalization, marijuana is now the most common drug found in fatal car accidents in Massachusetts… Modern concentrates and edibles have been linked to mental health conditions like psychosis, severe anxiety, and schizophrenia, particularly in young adults… As a result of commercial marijuana, ER visits in Massachusetts have drastically increased for teenagers with psychiatric conditions."
— Official argument in favour, 2026 Information for Voters, authored by Dr. Jeffrey Morgan, MD (Ret.) for the Coalition For a Healthy Massachusetts

Why opponents say NO

"Question 8 would create serious public health and safety problems by repealing the rules and regulations that currently control the production and sale of marijuana in Massachusetts. For ten years, Massachusetts has regulated marijuana, ensuring that products are tested for safety, packaged and labelled properly, and sold in licensed businesses to adults 21 and over. Question 8 would undo that progress, returning marijuana to the illicit market where there are no safeguards in place… Question 8 would shut down hundreds of small businesses, kill thousands of jobs, and eliminate billions of dollars in state tax revenue."
— Official argument against, 2026 Information for Voters, authored by Ryan Dominguez for the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition

What’s genuinely uncertain

The health and traffic claims in the argument in favour, and the illicit-market and jobs claims in the argument against, are the campaigns' own; the voter guide states the Commonwealth does not certify the truth or accuracy of any statement in either argument. Two survey-derived figures in the proponents' argument have been omitted here.
The measure repeals retail sale but keeps possession legal, so how adults 21 and over would lawfully obtain marijuana is not addressed by the summary — a gap the opposing argument frames as a return to the illicit market.
The revenue figures come from the state's own fiscal statement for fiscal 2025 and are historical; what would actually be lost from 2028 onward is not projected.
If approved, Massachusetts would be the first state to repeal a voter-approved recreational marijuana law, so there is no precedent for how the transition would work.

The bottom line

Whether to close Massachusetts's licensed recreational marijuana stores while keeping personal possession and medical marijuana legal; supporters point to harms they attribute to commercial sale, opponents say repeal removes testing, labelling and age controls and eliminates about $330 million a year in state and local revenue.

One neutral sentence describing the tradeoff — not a recommendation.

Sources:ma.omniballot.us sec.state.ma.us ballotpedia.org

Checking it against the official text

The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth publishes the certified measures and, in most states, an official voter guide with fiscal notes. That is the authoritative version. Everything here is an explanation of it, not a substitute for it.

Confirm this with the official source

Your ballot is determined by your election authority, not by us. Verify your registration, precinct, and sample ballot at Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

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