Massachusetts Cannabis Repeal 2026: Vote No on 8 | MassCann

A personal message to our JimBuddy's community

On November 3, Massachusetts voters will make a decision that could fundamentally change the future of cannabis in our state.

Question 8 asks voters whether Massachusetts should repeal the laws that created our regulated adult-use cannabis market. If it passes, Massachusetts could become the first state in the country to dismantle a voter-approved recreational cannabis program through a referendum.

As someone who loves this plant, this industry, and the community we have built around it, I cannot overstate how serious this vote is.

This is not merely a political debate happening somewhere in Boston. It is personal. It affects Jimbuddys, the people who work here, the local cultivators and manufacturers whose products we carry, and every adult who values safe and legal access to cannabis.

That is why I am asking you—personally—to vote NO on Question 8.

How did we get here?

The effort to repeal adult-use cannabis legalization received approximately $1.5 million in funding from SAM Action, an organization affiliated with Smart Approaches to Marijuana.

The signature-gathering campaign faced numerous accusations that voters were misled about what they were being asked to sign. Although the petition was challenged, the State Ballot Law Commission determined that the challengers had not presented sufficient admissible evidence to disqualify enough signatures. As a result, the proposal will appear on the November ballot.

Whatever anyone may think about the process that brought us here, the decision now belongs to Massachusetts voters.

We need to show up.

Bring a friend, a family member, a neighbor—or two or three. Talk to the people in your life about what Question 8 actually does. Many voters may not realize that voting YES would repeal recreational cannabis legalization.

The future of Jimbuddys—and the future of legal adult-use cannabis in Massachusetts—depends on people understanding this question before they enter the voting booth.

What would Question 8 do?

Question 8 is officially titled “An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy.” It would repeal Chapters 94G and 64N of Massachusetts law, which govern the legalization, cultivation, distribution, regulation, and taxation of recreational cannabis.

If approved, the repeal would take effect on January 1, 2028.

It is important to be precise: Question 8 would not prohibit every form of cannabis possession. Adults 21 and older could still possess up to one ounce without a civil or criminal penalty. Possession of more than one but no more than two ounces would generally result in a $100 civil penalty and forfeiture of the cannabis. The medical marijuana program would also remain.

But Question 8 would eliminate the legal adult-use cannabis marketplace as we know it.

Voting NO means:

• Jimbuddys and other licensed adult-use dispensaries can remain open.

• Massachusetts cultivators and manufacturers can continue producing regulated cannabis.

• Consumers retain access to legal, tested, and accurately labeled products.

• Thousands of Massachusetts cannabis jobs remain protected.

• Cannabis tax revenue continues supporting state and local programs.

• Adults retain the right to cultivate cannabis at home—up to six plants per person, with a maximum of 12 plants per household.

• The existing regulated adult-use cannabis system remains in place.

Voting YES means:

• Adult-use dispensaries, cultivators, manufacturers, and delivery operators would be forced to close or attempt to convert to medical-only businesses.

• Legal recreational cannabis sales would end.

• Adults would lose the right to cultivate cannabis at home.

• Thousands of Massachusetts jobs could disappear.

• State and local governments would lose hundreds of millions of dollars in cannabis-related revenue.

• Consumers could be pushed toward an illicit market that does not offer the same testing, labeling, age verification, or consumer protections.

• Programs funded through the recreational cannabis system, including social-equity initiatives, would be eliminated or lose their funding.

Campaign estimates place approximately 20,000 to 27,000 jobs at risk. Regardless of the exact number, these are real people—budtenders, cultivators, manufacturers, delivery drivers, laboratory workers, small-business owners, security professionals, and many others whose livelihoods depend on this regulated industry.

Make sure you are ready to vote

The Massachusetts State Election is Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. Early voting will be available from October 17 through October 30.

To register to vote in Massachusetts, you must:

• Be a United States citizen.

• Be a Massachusetts resident.

• Be at least 18 years old by Election Day.

• Not currently be incarcerated because of a felony conviction.

The registration deadline for this election is October 24, 2026, but please do not wait until the last minute.

Register online

Register or update your voter information through the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Register in person in Chicopee

Chicopee City Hall — Registrars of Voters
274 Front Street
Chicopee, MA
413-594-1550

Check your registration and polling location

Even if you believe you are registered, I strongly encourage you to check your voter-registration status and polling location.

I checked mine and was surprised to discover that my status was listed as “inactive,” even though I have voted in every presidential election since 2000. Apparently, I had not returned my local census form.

If this happens to you, please do not panic: inactive voters can still vote.

According to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, an inactive voter should bring identification showing the voter’s name and registered address. It does not have to be photo identification—a driver’s license, state ID, recent utility bill, lease, or another printed document containing your name and address may be accepted. You will also be asked to complete an Affirmation of Current and Continuous Residence at the polling place.

You can learn more from the state’s official inactive-voter guidance.

Please stand with us

We love this plant. We love our customers. We love the community that has grown around Jimbuddys, and we are incredibly proud to bring you some of the finest cannabis Massachusetts has to offer.

We want to continue doing that for many years to come.

This election is about more than one dispensary. It is about preserving safe and legal access, protecting Massachusetts workers and small businesses, and respecting the decision voters made when they legalized adult-use cannabis in 2016.

Please make a plan to vote. Please talk to the people you know. Please bring someone with you.

On or before November 3, vote NO on Question 8 to keep recreational cannabis legal in Massachusetts.

We’ll see you at the polls.

—Marie