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Cannabis leaders came together last week to build a plan to fight the proposed ballot initiative, “An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy.” Watch the conversation here.
Let’s be clear, Massachusetts didn’t stumble into cannabis legalization. Voters made a deliberate choice in 2016 to create a regulated, safe, and transparent adult-use market. Since then, we’ve built something that works.
At COAST, we’re proud to be one of the original brands that helped shape this industry from the ground up. That’s why the proposed ballot initiative, “An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy,” is so concerning. It does not fix the system. It dismantles it.
The legal cannabis industry in Massachusetts supports thousands of jobs across cultivation, manufacturing, retail, compliance, and logistics, while generating hundreds of millions in tax revenue that fund public programs, infrastructure, and local communities.
Eliminating adult-use cannabis would cut off a major source of state and municipal funding, eliminate stable and above-board jobs, and disrupt small businesses and entrepreneurs who invested in a regulated system. This is not theoretical. It is an immediate economic impact that would be felt across the Commonwealth.
Before legalization, there was no oversight, no testing, and no accountability. Today’s regulated cannabis products are lab tested for safety and potency, clearly labeled for consumers, and tracked from seed to sale.
Rolling back legalization does not eliminate demand. It pushes it back underground. That is where the real risk lives, with unregulated products, unknown potency, and increasing reports of dangerous additives and unsafe manufacturing.
A legal market protects consumers. An illicit one does not.
For many adults, cannabis is part of a wellness routine, a social experience, or an alternative to alcohol. Legalization made access safe, controlled, and responsible. This bill would take that access away from licensed channels and replace it with uncertainty.
It does not reduce use. It removes safeguards.
Massachusetts set out to build one of the most thoughtful cannabis programs in the country, focused on safety, equity, and accountability. Brands like COAST have spent years investing in product quality, responsible education, and supporting local communities.
Rolling that back does not improve the system. It erases progress.
This moment matters.
If you believe in safe, regulated products, protecting jobs and local businesses, and keeping cannabis out of the illicit market, now is the time to stand up.
Support the effort to oppose this ballot initiative and contribute to the fight. Your donation to the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition helps protect the regulated cannabis industry and everything we have worked to build.
