Question 8 Prohibit Retail Sale of Recreational Marijuana

Massachusetts Question 8 (Prohibit Retail Sale of Recreational Marijuana) is on the November 3, 2026 ballot. Repeal retail sales and home cultivation of adult-use recreational marijuana while setting possession limits and civil penalties

What a yes or no vote means

How Question 8 reached the ballot

Massachusetts uses an indirect initiative: petitions for statutes or constitutional amendments need signatures equal to 3 percent of the last gubernatorial vote (74,574 for 2026, with no more than a quarter from one county) and go to the Legislature first. If lawmakers decline an initiative statute, sponsors collect a smaller second round (12,429) to force it onto the ballot; amendment petitions instead need support from a quarter of legislators in two successive joint sessions. Questions pass by simple majority, provided yes votes also equal at least 30 percent of all ballots cast.

Verify with the state: official full text and details →. Wording above follows the certified ballot language; The Ballot Brief does not take positions on measures.

Other Massachusetts statewide measures in 2026

All Massachusetts 2026 ballot measures · Massachusetts candidates