Nearly a full decade after Massachusetts voters approved the legalization of recreational cannabis, the Commonwealth’s cannabis industry is staring down an existential threat in the form of ballot initiative No. 25-10, known as “An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy.” The ballot initiative, proposed by the “Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts” (the “Coalition”), proposes to return the Commonwealth to the dark ages and upend a resilient and regulated industry that has generated over $9B in gross recreational sales since the market launched in 2018.

Although the Coalition has, so far, satisfied the required signature gathering thresholds under the Commonwealth’s ballot initiative process (though perhaps through use of misleading tactics), many skeptics remain. These skeptics include prominent Massachusetts legislators and members of the Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions (“Joint Committee”), who convened a public hearing on the ballot initiative on March 23, 2026. The hearing shined a spotlight on the ballot initiative and illuminated a largely one-sided debate that pitted a single organization that apparently represents mainly out-of-state interests against a chorus of local cannabis operators, advocates, and policy experts who made a compelling case that the ballot initiative will eliminate jobs, tax revenue, and social equity, while at the same time driving consumers back to the illicit market.

A Lone Voice in Favor of Prohibition

Wendy Wakeman, a veteran of Republican Party politics and spokeswoman for the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts, was the sole individual who testified in support of the ballot initiative. Her arguments were sweeping but thin as she generally pointed to complaints about odor, concerns about marijuana potency, and the supposed link between cannabis use disorder and schizophrenia in young men. She also argued, superficially, that “Massachusetts is just not as comfortable a place to live in anymore.” But when pressed by legislators for the data behind these claims, the asserted foundation for Ms. Wakeman’s testimony collapsed.

Under pointed questioning from Senator Cindy Friedman about the sources of the Coalition’s data, Ms. Wakeman conceded that not all of it was from Massachusetts, noting there was “fine print in the slides” and that data is a “funny thing” in this debate. When Senator Friedman pointedly asked a follow-up question about why the ballot question was not focused on commissioning better research, Ms. Wakeman deflected in responding, “[y]ou’re certainly welcome to do that as a State Senator.”

Senator Barry Finegold then challenged Ms. Wakeman on the will of the voters who approved legalization in 2016 and the significant capital already invested in the industry. Ms. Wakeman’s answer to the latter was simply that “the costs outweigh the benefits,” an assertion she offered without much, if any, substantiation.

Representative Michael Day then emphasized a glaring contradiction in the ballot initiative, in that it would still allow adults to possess and gift up to an ounce of marijuana while prohibiting adult-use sales in the Commonwealth, essentially forcing consumers back into the illicit market that has been largely marginalized in the past decade. Ms. Wakeman conceded it was “a great question” but offered no solution to the paradox. Representative Day also pressed Ms. Wakeman on the source funding behind the ballot initiative, but she elided questions about reported financial support from Smart Approaches to Marijuana (“SAM”), a notorious prohibitionist organization, and the $1M+ it contributed to the initiative for signature collections. 

Perhaps most revealing was Senator Paul Feeney’s exchange with Ms. Wakeman, in which she admitted that “the vast majority of people who use cannabis can do so safely,” only to walk back her own concession when Senator Feeney reflected it back to her. 

A Unified Response from the Cannabis Industry

In stark contrast to the solitary testimony of Ms. Wakeman, representatives from four cannabis-related entities (including three Massachusetts operators) stood shoulder to shoulder in opposition to the initiative petition, painting a picture of a unified, regulated and responsible industry that has earned the right to exist. 

Caroline Pinau, owner of Stem, a cannabis operator based in Haverhill, emphasized that the adult-use industry has been defined by compliance and accountability, and warned that passage of the initiative would eliminate approximately 14,000 jobs and hundreds of millions in tax revenue to the Commonwealth. Kristin Rogers, CEO and co-founder of Levia, a cannabis-infused beverage company based in Georgetown and the only female-owned beverage manufacturer of its kind in the United States, testified that her company employs 17 full-time workers, 41% of whom are women, and sources exclusively from Massachusetts cultivators. “The choice before us is not cannabis or no cannabis,” Ms. Rogers said. Rather, “[t]he choice is whether it exists in a regulated system that protects people or an unregulated one that does not.” In addition, Armani White, co-owner of Firehouse dispensary in Hyde Park, pointed to the tens of millions of dollars his community has invested and warned that a return to prohibition would disproportionately harm black and brown communities, the same communities that bore the brunt of the misguided War on Drugs. 

Expert Testimony Underscored Dire Economic Consequences of Prohibition

The Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center (“MassBudget”) also provided expert testimony that underscored the economic stakes. According to MassBudget’s Jessica Troe, total adult-use retail sales in Massachusetts have exceeded $9 billion since legalization, generating nearly $2 billion in state and local revenue as of September 2025. That revenue funds vital programs including the Cannabis Control Commission’s Social Equity Program, the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, the Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Program, and SUCCESS grants for community college students. MassBudget also emphasized the vast social equity benefits of the adult-use industry. In particular, the benefits from the Cannabis Social Equity Trust Fund, which has distributed nearly $28.9 million in grants over two cycles, supporting businesses owned by individuals from communities disproportionately harmed by decades of marijuana prohibition. 

What Lies Ahead for the Ballot Petition

The Joint Committee is now tasked with producing a report on each potential ballot question, including “An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy,” ahead of the Legislature’s May 5, 2026 deadline. If the Legislature decides not to act on the ballot initiative by that date, the Coalition must collect an additional 12,429 signatures to place the question on the November ballot. We will continue to track and report on the progress of this ballot initiative and the opposition from the Commonwealth’s cannabis industry.