Massachusetts Voters Keep Legal Marijuana Sales, Rejecting Question 8 Repeal

November 3, 2026 at 10:18 pm|By nuggnotes Media

The Inaugural Collection The Classics Logo Hoodie — $79.99 · Pre-order, ships by November 20 Shop →

Massachusetts voters on Tuesday rejected Question 8, the ballot measure that would have repealed the state's adult-use marijuana law, keeping legal recreational sales, home cultivation and the regulated market intact. The Associated Press called the question for No with 48.11% of precincts reporting, when No led Yes 75.91% to 24.09% in unofficial returns. All figures in this story are unofficial election-night returns, and the story will be updated as the count is completed.

The count

The Associated Press called Massachusetts Question 8 for No on Tuesday night, November 3, 2026. In the AP returns at the call, No had 1,057,906 votes (75.91%) and Yes had 335,709 votes (24.09%), a total of 1,393,615 votes on the question and a margin of 722,197 votes — 51.8 percentage points. AP reported 1,147 of 2,384 precincts reporting (48.11%), with an estimated 48.86% of the vote in.

The margin also met nuggnotes' landslide-projection standard on the fresh numbers: No led by 51.8 points with more than 25% of precincts reporting, and Yes would have needed about 74.8% of the estimated remaining vote to flip the outcome. Decision Desk HQ had not called or projected the question as of its latest check — it still showed “Leader: No” at 51% in — so this story rests on the Associated Press call.

The 30% threshold

Question 8 also faced a second Massachusetts test: a ballot law needs Yes votes from more than 30% of all ballots cast, including blanks. Under a No win of this size, that threshold is moot for the outcome — the repeal fails on the majority test alone, because No beat Yes outright. Yes is also running at 24.09% of votes on the question, and that figure is an upper bound for its share of all ballots cast (ballots that left Question 8 blank only add to the denominator), so Yes is below 30% on that measure as well.

What was on the ballot

Question 8 (“An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy”) would have repealed Chapters 94G and 64N — the laws legalizing, regulating and taxing adult-use sales and home cultivation — effective January 1, 2028. Possession up to 1 oz and the medical program would have remained. (Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth official summary.)

The money

FY2025 recreational taxes raised ~$280M state + ~$50M local (official fiscal statement); 2025 adult-use sales $1.65B (CCC).

The campaign

Yes backed by Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts, funded almost entirely by SAM (~$3.5M). No (Stop the Repeal / MA Cannabis Coalition) backed by Gov. Healey, Sens. Warren and Markey, Rep. Pressley, Mayor Wu, 50+ state lawmakers, SEIU, Retailers Association — and, on election eve, NABLEO plus an open letter from 50+ current/former law-enforcement officials.

The polls called it

UNH Sep 71% against repeal; MassINC Sep 61% against.

What happens next

Nothing changes: the market, the CCC's full authority, and home cultivation continue as before. Watch instead: (1) whether SAM exports the repeal playbook to other legalization states in 2027–28 cycles; (2) whether the Legislature takes up the No side's “improvements” framing (Warren: legalization is better than an unregulated market, operations could improve); (3) any post-vote polling on whether the confusing ballot wording (yes = repeal) moved votes.

No state has ever repealed a voter-approved legalization law; Massachusetts was the first attempt to reach a vote, and it failed.

Sources

Associated Press — Elections 2026, Massachusetts Question 8 (Race ID 85151), “Repeal recreational marijuana legalization” (checked ~10:14 p.m. MT, Nov 3, 2026: race call status Called for No; No 1,057,906 / 75.91%, Yes 335,709 / 24.09%, total 1,393,615; 1,147 of 2,384 precincts reporting, 48.11%; estimated vote 48.86%. All figures unofficial.)

Decision Desk HQ — November 3rd, 2026 Massachusetts Election Results (live check 10:15 p.m. MT, Nov 3, 2026: Question 8 shown as “Leader: No” at 51% in, No 1,001,689 / 74.71%, Yes 339,167 / 25.29% — no Winner, Projected or Called label as of that check.)

Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth — official Question 8 summary and fiscal statement (voter guide). sec.state.ma.us/divisions/elections

Marijuana Moment — Massachusetts Question 8 result coverage (competitor check only; published 8:03:58 p.m. MT, Nov 3, 2026). MJBizDaily and The Marijuana Herald: no Question 8 result story found as of publication.

Read next