Key Takeaways
- Massachusetts voters remain largely opposed to the Massachusetts cannabis repeal, with 55% likely voting against it and only 33% in favor, according to a recent poll.
- The poll indicates that no demographic group showed majority support for repealing cannabis legalization, reflecting widespread approval of legal cannabis after a decade.
- The campaign for repeal has significant challenges, as a 22-point gap between opposition and support is tough to overcome in the time left before the election.
- If passed, the repeal would eliminate legal sales and home cultivation of recreational cannabis, but not affect medical marijuana rights.
- Overall, the current data shows strong support for maintaining cannabis legalization in Massachusetts, making the repeal campaign an uphill battle.
Massachusetts voters legalized recreational cannabis a decade ago with the passage of Ballot Question 4 in 2016. Since then, the state has built a regulated adult-use market that, by most voter accounts, is working. Now a campaign to undo all of that has made it onto the November 3, 2026 ballot, and the numbers are not looking good for repeal supporters.
A new poll from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and WCVB, conducted between August 5-12, 2026, surveyed 800 registered voters across Massachusetts. The results are clear: voters are not interested in reversing course on legal cannabis. The margin of error for the poll is 4.4 percentage points.
What Do the UMass Amherst/WCVB Poll Numbers Actually Show?
The topline results are hard to spin if you’re on the repeal side. According to the poll, 55% of registered Massachusetts voters said they would probably or definitely vote against the marijuana repeal measure. Just 33% said they would vote in favor, and 10% remain undecided.
Breaking it down further: 40% said they would definitely vote no, while 15% said they would probably vote no. On the pro-repeal side, 15% said they would definitely vote yes and 18% said they would probably vote yes. Another 3% said they don’t understand the ballot question at all.
That 22-point gap between opposition and support is significant. It is not the kind of deficit that a campaign typically closes in a few months, especially one that poll director Tatishe Nteta, provost professor of political science at UMass Amherst, described as still being “in its nascent stages.”
Nteta did note that the 10% undecided share leaves some room for movement. “There remains time for the tables to turn,” he said, “but with Trump voters (48%) and Republicans (45%) the only groups approaching majority support for the ballot question, convincing Massachusetts voters to reverse course on marijuana legalization appears to be a formidable challenge.”
How Do Massachusetts Voters Feel About Cannabis Legalization Generally?
Beyond the ballot question itself, the poll asked voters to reflect on the broader impact of legalization, and the responses tell a similar story.
A majority of Massachusetts voters, 55%, said they view the state’s cannabis legalization as very positive (26%) or somewhat positive (29%). Only 24% described it as negative in any capacity, with 11% calling it very negative and 13% somewhat negative. About 21% said legalization has been neither positive nor negative.
These numbers matter because they reflect settled opinion, not fleeting sentiment. Massachusetts has lived with legal cannabis for a decade now. Voters have had time to form real-world assessments of how the market operates, and a clear majority has landed on a favorable view.
As Nteta put it: “Looking back on the 10-year anniversary of this decision, we find that a majority of voters (54%) view legalization in a positive light, with only 2 in 10 (22%) saying that legalization has been negative for the state.”
Who Actually Supports the Massachusetts Cannabis Repeal?
This is where the numbers get even more telling for the repeal campaign. The poll found that no demographic group, broken down by party, age, gender, race, education level, or income, showed majority support for rolling back marijuana legalization.
The strongest support for repeal came from Trump voters at 48% and Republicans at 45%. But even those numbers fall short of a majority. Every other group polled sat well below those figures.
Co-director Raymond La Raja, professor of political science at UMass Amherst, framed the broader challenge this way: “The challenge for Republicans is that a sour public mood isn’t enough.” Even as Massachusetts voters express real economic anxiety and frustration with the direction of the state, that discontent is not translating into appetite for cannabis prohibition.
The coalition pushing this measure is essentially relying on a voter base that, even among the friendliest subgroups, has not crossed 50% support.
What Would Ballot Question 8 Actually Do if It Passed?
It’s worth being clear about what a “yes” vote on Question 8 would mean, since some voters may not fully understand the stakes.
A yes vote would repeal the laws that currently allow the retail sale, regulation, and taxation of recreational cannabis in Massachusetts. It would also eliminate home cultivation rights for adults. The medical marijuana program would remain intact, and medical patients would not be affected.
Under the proposed changes, adults 21 and older could still possess up to one ounce of marijuana without penalty. Possession of up to two ounces would carry only civil penalties for adults, and the same threshold would apply to people under 21.
In short, a yes vote shuts down every licensed recreational cannabis retailer in Massachusetts. Thousands of jobs, hundreds of businesses, and hundreds of millions of dollars in annual tax revenue would be wiped out. According to the Marijuana Policy Project, passage of the measure could have “disastrous political and economic consequences for legal cannabis markets everywhere,” potentially encouraging similar rollback campaigns in other states.
Why This Poll Matters More Than Earlier Surveys
Previous polling on the Massachusetts cannabis repeal focused heavily on Democratic primary voters, a group that opposes the rollback by overwhelming margins. A Suffolk University/Boston Globe survey earlier in 2026 showed 79% of likely Democratic primary voters wanted to keep current cannabis laws intact, with only 16% supporting repeal.
That kind of lopsided number tells you something, but it does not tell you about the full electorate voting in November. This new UMass Amherst/WCVB poll fills that gap. By sampling the broader registered voter population, it captures Republicans, independents, and voters across income and education levels.
The fact that even this wider, more politically diverse sample produces a 22-point deficit for the repeal campaign is the real headline. The Massachusetts cannabis repeal is not just unpopular among Democrats. It is unpopular, period.
What Comes Next for the Massachusetts Cannabis Repeal Campaign?
The repeal campaign still has roughly two and a half months to shift voter opinion before November 3, 2026. Campaigns can move numbers, and the 10% undecided share is a real variable. But the history of ballot measures with deficits this large at this stage in the cycle is not encouraging for the pro-repeal side.
Meanwhile, a coalition of Massachusetts cannabis businesses, healthcare professionals, and advocacy groups has already launched a campaign to defeat Question 8. Industry stakeholders are motivated. The legal market is motivated. And, according to this poll, most Massachusetts voters already agree with them.
The repeal campaign made it onto the ballot. Getting voters to say yes to prohibition is an entirely different challenge, and right now the data says that challenge is steep.
Frequently Asked Questions
Massachusetts Ballot Question 8, formally known as the Eliminate Recreational Marijuana Sales and Allow Limited Possession Initiative, is a November 2026 ballot measure that would repeal the state’s laws permitting the regulated retail sale, taxation, and home cultivation of recreational cannabis. Adults would still be allowed to possess up to one ounce without penalty. The medical marijuana program would not be affected.
The August 2026 UMass Amherst/WCVB poll found that 55% of Massachusetts registered voters would probably or definitely vote against repealing recreational cannabis sales, compared to 33% in support and 10% undecided. The survey was conducted August 5-12, 2026, with 800 registered voters and a margin of error of 4.4 percentage points.
Yes. According to the UMass Amherst/WCVB poll released in August 2026, 55% of Massachusetts voters described cannabis legalization as very positive or somewhat positive for the state. Only 24% said legalization has been negative. About 21% said it has been neither positive nor negative.
According to the August 2026 UMass Amherst/WCVB poll, Trump voters (48%) and Republicans (45%) are the demographic groups with the highest support for the marijuana repeal measure, though neither group has reached a majority. No demographic group, including by age, gender, race, education level, or income, showed majority support for Question 8.
