Massachusetts’ cannabis scene might be about to meet its ultimate buzzkill. The Attorney General’s office has been fielding complaints about a new anti-marijuana ballot initiative—and the signature-gatherers behind it aren’t exactly winning friends.
The Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts wants to roll back the state’s legal adult-use weed market, while keeping medical access and small personal possession intact. In other words, they’re aiming to pull the rug out from under commercial cannabis while letting stoners keep a little stash at home.
Industry voices, including David O’Brien from the Massachusetts Cannabis Business Association, say these petition crews—mostly paid out-of-state—are using what he calls “deceptive tactics” to snag signatures. One Reddit user recounted petitioners lurking at a grocery store, pretending to collect signatures for protecting minors from arrest, while actually gathering support to repeal the state’s recreational cannabis law. Sneaky.
The Attorney General’s office reminded folks to actually read the top of the petition form before signing, because apparently that’s a wild concept. “All petitions have the Attorney General’s summary of the proposed law printed at the top… We strongly encourage voters to carefully read the summary before deciding whether to sign,” they said.
Despite the drama, the repeal campaign says it’s on track to hit the signature quota for the December deadline. If it makes it past the legislature, Massachusetts voters could face a ballot question that would throw the adult-use cannabis industry into reverse—potentially wiping out a decade of legal pot progress.
Whether Massachusetts’ stoners panic or just laugh it off, one thing’s for sure: the anti-weed brigade is giving new meaning to the term “creative lobbying.”
Dabbin-Dad Newsroom
