One of the least publicized results of this month’s election was 14 state representative districts voting to support the legalization of marijuana. Two organizations, the Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts and Bay State Repeal, worked to put these non-binding public policy questions on the ballot. Here’s a quick rundown on the two questions and their results.
DPFMA’s question, placed on the ballot in eight districts, focused on regulating marijuana like alcohol, specifically asking, “Shall the State Representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would allow the state to regulate and tax marijuana in the same manner as alcohol?” The results:
- 4th Barnstable 73%
- 4th Berkshire 74%
- 1st Essex 72%
- 2nd Franklin 69%
- 14th Middlesex 72%
- 15th Middlesex 72%
- 24th Middlesex 74%
- 8th Norfolk 73%
This language is reminiscent of the successful campaigns to legalize in Colorado and Alaska, both of which focused on the message that marijuana is safer than alcohol. Seeing support average about 72% approval among these districts bodes very well for the campaign to legalize marijuana in Massachusetts in 2016, which will likely be led by the Marijuana Policy Project and use similar messaging to their other campaigns.
Bay State Repeal’s question was very different, polling public opinion on “replac[ing] the state’s restrictions on marijuana with a law that regulates the cultivation of and commerce in marijuana, by persons over the age of 21, in the same manner as laws that apply to the cultivation and sale of fruits, vegetables and herbs.” The results:
- 4th Essex 54%
- 7th Essex 61%
- 8th Essex 57%
- 3rd Middlesex 60%
- 6th Middlesex 62%
- 2nd Hampshire 64%
It’s incredible to see majority support for legalizing marijuana like tomatoes rather than alcohol. Of course, this would be a much less regulated system, and if adopted, Massachusetts would be the first state to pursue this model. In many ways it makes sense, since marijuana does not carry many of the risks alcohol does (overdose, domestic violence, or significantly impairing driving, to name a few), but it’s unclear whether there would be majority support at the state level for such a far-reaching reform.
Marijuana legalization wasn’t a big issue in MA this election cycle, mostly because both Baker and Coakley were opposed to reform. However, Evan Falchuk was supportive of legalization, and while many factors contributed to him getting over 3%, I’m sure many voters (myself included) cast a ballot for him at least partly for his support of smart drug policy reform. From these election results and national trends, it appears the legalization of marijuana in Massachusetts is virtually inevitable — Democrats should get on board, or run the risk of losing the support of young people and other groups who favor reform.
