Massachusetts voters are not interested in un-legalizing weed

A University of New Hampshire Survey Center poll released September 25 found just 24% of Massachusetts voters plan to vote yes on Question 8, the November ballot measure that would ban adult-use cannabis retail sales and recriminalize home cultivation. Seventy-one percent said they'll vote no, with 5% undecided.

That's the widest margin yet in a string of polls that have all pointed the same direction — an April survey had opposition at 69%, and an August UMass Amherst/WCVB poll put it lower, at 55%, but still a clear majority against repeal. Support for the measure has not once cracked 30% in public polling this cycle.

The stakes are real even if the outcome looks lopsided: Massachusetts' adult-use market generated roughly $280 million in state tax revenue and another $50 million for municipalities last fiscal year, and Question 8 would take effect January 1, 2028 if it somehow passed. Medical sales and adult possession would stay legal either way — only retail and home grow are on the ballot.

For Massachusetts operators, the numbers are reassuring but not a reason to stop campaigning. Ballot measures have surprised pollsters before, and a well-funded opposition push between now and the November 3 election is still the safer bet than resting on a double-digit polling lead.