Key Takeaways
- Massachusetts voters face Question 8, which seeks to repeal the regulated adult-use marijuana market, affecting businesses and jobs.
- Over 50 law enforcement officials urge a ‘no’ vote, citing concerns about increased crime and loss of product safety if repeal occurs.
- Polls show rising opposition to Question 8, with 61% of voters planning to vote against it, despite some support for repeal.
- Key political figures, including Governor Maura Healey and U.S. Senators Warren and Markey, also oppose the measure.
With Election Day arriving today in Massachusetts, voters face a decision on Question 8. A measure that would roll back the state’s regulated adult-use marijuana market. It’s not just cannabis advocates speaking out against it. A growing number of police officers, prosecutors, and judges, both current and retired, are asking voters to leave the current system in place.
What Is Massachusetts Question 8 and What Would It Do?
Question 8 would repeal the laws that allow licensed retail sale, taxation, and regulation of adult-use marijuana in Massachusetts. Home cultivation rights tied to adult use would also disappear under the measure.
Medical marijuana would be unaffected. Patients enrolled in the state’s medical program would keep their access no matter how the vote turns out.
Adults 21 and older would still be allowed to possess up to one ounce of marijuana without facing criminal charges, with civil penalties applying above that limit. What goes away is the regulated retail side of the business. Every licensed adult-use dispensary in the state would need to close its recreational operations.
That’s a significant shift for an industry valued at roughly $1.65 billion a year in Massachusetts. A repeal wouldn’t just affect business owners. It would eliminate jobs, cut state tax revenue, and push consumers who currently buy from licensed, tested sources back toward an unregulated market.
Why Are Law Enforcement Officials Urging a No Vote on Question 8?
More than 50 current and former law enforcement officials signed an open letter opposing Question 8, organized with support from the Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP). Signers include LEAP Executive Director Lt. Diane Goldstein (Ret.) of the Redondo Beach Police Department, former Massachusetts State Senator Michael Moore, retired Massachusetts Juvenile Court First Justice Jay D. Blitzman, and retired Brockton Police Detective Kenneth Williams.
Their letter states plainly: “Many of us spent our careers enforcing marijuana laws. We know firsthand what that system cost: resources diverted away from violent crime and toward low-level cannabis offenses, lack of visibility into an unregulated market, and no tools to hold sellers accountable when something went wrong.”
The signers argue that repeal wouldn’t reduce demand for marijuana. Instead, it would strip away the licensing, testing, and accountability that the regulated market currently provides, pushing transactions toward sellers with no age checks or product standards.
They also point to a practical concern for departments already stretched thin. Recriminalizing cannabis sales would pull police, prosecutors, courts, and correctional resources back into enforcement against activity that licensed businesses have conducted safely for years, resources the letter argues are better spent addressing violent crime, impaired driving, and illegal sales to minors.
What Evidence Do Officials Point to in Supporting the Current System?
The law enforcement letter cites several data points to back its position. The share of Massachusetts cannabis users who report buying from legal sources rose from 60.8 percent in 2019 to 84.2 percent in 2023, showing the regulated market steadily displacing unlicensed sellers.
Youth access has also improved under regulation, according to the letter. Past-30-day marijuana use among Massachusetts public high school students fell from 30.2 percent in 2019 to 13.0 percent in 2025.
Revenue from regulated sales has funded public programs as well. From FY21 through FY25, Massachusetts directed roughly $28 million in marijuana revenue toward reentry and recidivism reduction, plus $65 million toward community stabilization grants covering job training, housing, and addiction treatment.
That funding also supports substance-use prevention, impaired-driving awareness campaigns, and municipal police training, all of which the letter says would be at risk under repeal.
Why Did The National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers Endorse the No on 8 Campaign?
According to Marijuana Moment, the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers (NABLEO) announced its endorsement of the No on 8 campaign, joining the coalition of officials speaking out against the measure.
NABLEO Chairman Lt. Charles Wilson (Ret.) explained the group’s reasoning: “A return to the prohibition and criminalizing of cannabis commerce will only increase demands on already over-burdened law enforcement resources and raise serious questions regarding enforcement priorities, consumer safety and the effective use of public resources.”
Stop the Repeal Chairperson Ryan Dominguez welcomed the endorsement, noting that Massachusetts has “one of the most strict enforcement laws in the country that keep cannabis sales within a regulated and age-gated system with product testing from seed to sale.” He added that pushing consumers toward unregulated sellers with no oversight runs counter to public safety goals.
What Do the Latest Polls Show About Question 8?
Public opinion appears to be moving further against repeal as Election Day nears. A UMass Amherst/WCVB poll fielded October 5 through 12 found 61 percent of registered voters would vote no on Question 8, with 31 percent in support and 8 percent undecided. That’s a shift from the same pollster’s August survey, which showed 55 percent opposed and 33 percent in favor.
A separate MassINC Polling Group survey conducted in September among likely voters found nearly identical results: 61 percent no, 27 percent yes. Two different polling firms, surveying different groups of voters, landed on the same top-line number.
UMass political science professor Raymond La Raja, who co-directs the poll, said supporters of repeal “face a steep uphill climb” and that opposition “falls well short of a majority in every major group we surveyed, including voters who don’t use marijuana.”
Who Else Is Speaking Out Against Question 8?
The law enforcement coalition isn’t alone. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and her Republican challenger, Mike Minogue, have both said they support keeping cannabis sales legal. More than 50 state lawmakers, including House Speaker Ronald Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, have also said they’ll vote no.
U.S. Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, along with Representative Ayanna Pressley, have publicly opposed the measure as well. Warren told reporters, “We could make improvements in the operations but legalizing cannabis is better than continuing an unregulated, underground market.”
Boston’s mayor and the Worcester City Council have also come out against repeal, adding municipal voices to the coalition opposing Question 8 heading into Tuesday’s vote.
What Should Massachusetts Voters Know?
Massachusetts voters decide Question 8 on today, alongside several other ballot questions. The law enforcement officials speaking out against repeal aren’t arguing the current system is flawless. Their letter acknowledges room for improvement, including sharper enforcement against unlicensed sellers and better tools for detecting impaired driving. Their position is that Massachusetts should build on the framework it has rather than dismantle it.
Polling suggests most voters agree, though a poll is a snapshot, not a guarantee. Ballot questions are decided by whoever actually shows up on Election Day. Anyone still weighing their decision can review the official ballot question language [insert official ballot summary and link from the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth] before heading to the polls.
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 8 is a ballot measure that would repeal the laws legalizing, regulating, and taxing retail adult-use cannabis sales in Massachusetts. It would not affect the state’s medical marijuana program.
Over 50 current and former officers, prosecutors, and judges signed a letter arguing that repeal would eliminate licensing, testing, and accountability tools while pulling police resources away from violent crime and toward low-level cannabis enforcement.
NABLEO Chairman Lt. Charles Wilson said recriminalizing cannabis commerce would increase demands on already stretched law enforcement resources and raise questions about enforcement priorities and consumer safety.
An October UMass Amherst/WCVB poll found 61 percent of voters opposed to Question 8, with 31 percent in support. A separate MassINC poll found nearly identical numbers among likely voters.
Massachusetts voters decide Question 8, along with several other ballot measures, on Election Day, November 3, 2026.
