A majority of Americans support cannabis legalization, but that doesn’t mean everyone is on board with legal pot. Prohibitionist groups have sought to repeal reforms in several states. In Massachusetts, voters will decide whether to roll back adult-use come November—and new data shows how people feel about the debate.
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According to a poll of 800 registered voters in the Bay State, roughly 55 percent oppose a ballot initiative that would scale back the adult-use cannabis market.
Around 33 percent said they would definitely or probably vote to repeal legalization. Approximately one in ten voters is still undecided.
“A majority of voters (54 percent) view legalization in a positive light, with only 2 in 10 (22 percent) saying that legalization has been negative for the state,” poll director Tatishe Nteta told the Worcester Business Journal.
Nteta added that the initiative faces an uphill battle.
“Convincing Massachusetts voters to reverse course on marijuana legalization appears to be a formidable challenge,” Nteta said.
Support for repeal also appears to vary widely by political party, with 45 percent of Republicans supporting the initiative. A separate poll found that 79 percent of Democrats oppose it.
The campaign to eliminate adult-use cannabis sales in Massachusetts has seen some controversy. Some signature gatherers were accused of misleading voters about the initiative’s true nature.
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If the initiative passes, the state would no longer permit a commercial adult-use market. Home grow would also be eliminated. Adults 21 and over could still possess up to an ounce of flower, and the medical marijuana market would remain unchanged.
Adam Smith, director of the pro-cannabis nonprofit Marijuana Policy Project, warned that passage could have consequences beyond Massachusetts.
“A loss in Massachusetts would have disastrous political and economic consequences for legal cannabis markets everywhere, and even a too-close victory would spook markets and incentivize a rash of similar initiatives in states around the country, each costing millions to try and defeat,” Smith said in a statement.
While political experts believe efforts to roll back adult-use legalization in Massachusetts will ultimately fail, the campaign shows opposition to legal cannabis hasn’t disappeared.
