I was reading an article this morning that I had to share, because the timing is almost comical.
Massachusetts may soon have a ballot question asking voters to roll back parts of the state’s marijuana legalization law—but a brand-new state report says the legal market is already doing exactly what legalization was supposed to do.
According to research released by the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, about 84% of adult cannabis consumers in the state say they get their weed from licensed sources instead of the illicit market.
That’s a pretty big shift from the pre-legalization days, when nearly all cannabis sales happened underground.
The state’s regulated market has also grown into a massive industry since retail sales launched in 2018, generating more than $9 billion in total cannabis sales along the way.
In other words, the system appears to be doing what supporters promised:
give adults a legal place to buy tested products and watch the black market shrink.
Meanwhile, opponents of legalization are pushing a ballot initiative that could roll back key parts of the law, potentially ending the state’s adult-use retail market.
So the situation now looks a little strange.
Just as data shows most cannabis consumers have moved into the regulated market… voters might be asked whether they want to undo the system that got them there in the first place.
Politics aside, the report highlights something pretty simple about legalization:
When people have access to safe, legal stores, most of them actually use them.
Dabbin-Dad Newsroom
