On November 3, Massachusetts voters will decide whether to end the legal recreational cannabis market they created in 2016. No legal-cannabis state has repealed commercial sales at the ballot box before. New York does not border the race, and its own law could not be undone the same way. Still, the vote matters to New York's market, its border-region shoppers and the national industry.
What Question 8 would do
The measure appears as Question 8, "An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy." The State Ballot Law Commission rejected the last challenge to its signatures in July, and the measure is one of nine statewide questions this year, tying the state's 1994 record, CommonWealth Beacon reported.
If it passes, it would repeal the laws that allow licensed recreational sales and home growing. It would leave legal possession and the medical program in place. According to a Boston.com summary of the measure, adults 21 and over could still possess up to an ounce, including no more than five grams of concentrate, and give those amounts to other adults. Licensed recreational retailers could apply to become medical dispensaries.
Where the race stands
The polls point to a no vote. A MassINC Polling Group survey for CommonWealth Beacon, released in early October, found 61% of likely voters opposed and 27% in favor, with 11% undecided. A University of New Hampshire poll in September had opposition at 71%.
The opposition picked up more prominent names this week. U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey both told Marijuana Moment on October 9 that they will vote no, following Rep. Ayanna Pressley. Warren said legalization beats "continuing an unregulated, underground market." The yes campaign is backed by SAM Action, the political arm of the national group Smart Approaches to Marijuana. SAM Action supplied all $1.55 million the campaign raised last year, according to CommonWealth Beacon.
There is a lot of money at stake. Massachusetts has passed $10 billion in adult-use sales since 2018. It recorded $1.65 billion in gross sales in 2025 and $289 million in tax revenue in fiscal 2025, according to Boston.com.
Why New Yorkers should care
It can't happen here the same way. New York legalized adult-use cannabis through the Legislature in 2021, and the state has no process for citizens to put a law on the statewide ballot. Rolling back New York's market would take a new law passed by legislators and signed by the governor.
The industry is watching the margin. Advocates have warned that even a narrow defeat could encourage similar campaigns elsewhere. New York's market is younger and still growing: more than $4.1 billion in sales since launch and 712 retailers open as of October 1. A big loss for repeal would weaken the argument that voters regret legalization. A close vote would strengthen it.
Border shoppers, carefully. If recreational sales ended in Massachusetts, residents of western Massachusetts would be closer to legal stores in New York, Vermont and Connecticut. Carrying cannabis across state lines remains illegal under federal law, even between two legal states, and New Yorkers should not plan on bringing products home from any other state.
What happens next
Election Day is November 3. Our July coverage explains how the measure qualified. We will report the result and what it could mean for New York's market. For adults 21+.