The crucial marijuana question not on the ballot: Why has Massachusetts failed to educate the public on the harmful effects of cannabis and monitor the impact of its growing use, especially on young people?

October 18, 2026

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The crucial marijuana question not on the ballot: Why has Massachusetts failed to educate the public on the harmful effects of cannabis and monitor the impact of its growing use, especially on young people?

October 18, 2026

By Sushrut Jangi, Corinne Cather, Ari Cohen, A. Eden Evins, Cheryl Y. S. Foo, Jodi Gilman, Nicole Nadeau, and Toby Raybould

In less than three weeks, Massachusetts voters will face a binary choice when it comes to the sale of recreational marijuana. Question 8 on the ballot asks whether the state should repeal the previously voter-approved ballot question legalizing recreational cannabis sales, or keep in the place the law that was passed 10 years ago.

We are not here to answer that question, which demands consideration of many factors, including the impact marijuana laws had prior to legalization and the fact that a robust economic sector has been established following approval of the 2016 ballot question. But as health care professionals, we are sounding the alarm on what we believe has been an inexcusable failure of state officials to provide the needed regulatory oversight and public health education and monitoring of the effects of growing cannabis use, especially among young people.

Seven years into Massachusetts’ experiment with recreational cannabis commercialization has led to economic windfalls for the cannabis industry and the state government. In 2025, cannabis sales in Massachusetts reached a record $1.65 billion, with the state collecting $289 million in tax revenue.

Our state now ranks in the top five cannabis markets in the country. There is no end in sight to the cannabis bonanza: In June, Gov. Maura Healey signed cannabis reform legislation that doubles the amount of cannabis people can purchase per day or possess at any time, while increasing the number of dispensaries owned by any one entity and loosening restrictions on advertising and marketing of cannabis products. Other sales-boosters coming to the market include licensing for social consumption of cannabis in “weed cafes,” lounges, and yoga studios.  

As a group of Massachusetts clinicians and public health researchers, we are increasingly concerned about the impacts of widespread cannabis availability and associated health hazards. Since legalization, cannabis use in Massachusetts steadily increased from 15 percent of people using the drug pre-legalization in 2012, to nearly 43 percent in 2023.