Massachusetts cannabis repeal campaign faces scrutiny

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Proponents of Question 8 in Massachusetts, the ballot initiative which seeks to repeal key elements of the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law, have a popularity problem. Most voters favor regulating cannabis businesses and they don’t want to see the legalization repealed.

As a result, Question 8’s backers are increasingly engaging in fear-mongering and obfuscation to try to turn the tide. 

For instance, campaign backers recently told NPR that Question 8 doesn’t repeal adults’ legal right to grow limited quantities of cannabis at home. But that isn’t true. The ballot measure explicitly states that it "repeals Chapters 94G and 64N of the General Laws which govern the possession, use, distribution, cultivation, and taxation of marijuana not medically prescribed.”

Proponents further claim that Question 8 is necessary because Massachusetts’ existing market lacks sufficient regulations or controls. In fact, operators in the cannabis market are heavily regulated, even more so than alcohol retailers. In addition, a ‘yes’ vote on Question 8 doesn’t tighten market regulations or provide new ones; rather, it eliminates the existing rules altogether.

“Our most important asset is our team. They put passion and love into what they do,” Glass House President Graham Farrar wrote in a post on X, after a turbulent few weeks for the stock. 

“No one has more experience growing cannabis at scale than the Glass House team.” Still, the post shouted out multiple members of the management team while curiously leaving out CEO Kyle Kazan, who has come under fire from short-seller Marc Cohodes on X. 

Glass House listed on the NYSE in June. The stock is down about 83% since then, closing at $2.35 per share on Tuesday.

$GLAS ( ▼ 4.88% )

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Marijuana Policy Project’s Adam J. Smith joined us on Cultivated Live on Tuesday, for a wide-ranging conversation about his decades in drug policy activism, taking over MPP, and how he’s trying to build bridges between the industry and advocates. 

I’ve long written that the industry has taken over pushing legalization, leading to “Pyrrhic” victories that help their bottom line but don’t win the broader argument over promoting the positives of cannabis legalization to an increasingly skeptical public, many of whom are wary of Big Tobacc-like marketing tactics. Fair or not, that’s a big talking point for the opposition.

Smith knows and so do most industry lobbyists. But here’s the challenge: The MPP was once a $12 million organization. Philanthropists have moved on to other causes, thinking the battle over cannabis is won. Its budget is now about $1 million. 

Compare that to anti-cannabis Smart Approaches to Marijuana, which dumped over $3 million into the long-shot Massachusetts repeal campaign alone. 

-JB

Watch the full episode here:

The National Restaurant Association disclosed lobbying on the Beverage Regulatory Parity Act in Q3, its first filing to name the bipartisan bill that would keep hemp THC drinks up to 5 mg per serving federally legal. The group pegs THC drinks as a $1.6 billion annual opportunity for restaurants ahead of the Dec. 11 hemp ban.

Colorado regulators have issued three recalls since Sept. 25 for vapes made by Craft after testing found methylene chloride, a banned synthetic flavor additive and the banned pesticide chlorfenapyr. As of Oct. 9, state health officials had received 38 reports of adverse effects, mostly headaches and respiratory discomfort.

Nebraska’s Medical Cannabis Commission told licensed cultivators Monday to plan on storing crops for one to two years while it writes rules for testing, manufacturing and distribution, since no licensed lab, manufacturer or dispensary exists yet.

Just 31% of respondents in a UMass poll back Question 8, which would repeal recreational cannabis sales in Massachusetts a decade after voters approved them. Another 47% said they would definitely vote no, giving it the lowest support of any question on the ballot.

Canadian cannabis company SNDL raised its indirect stake in Parallel to about 92% from 67% through a rights offering, a move it says could open a path to bringing the U.S. operator’s medical business under its own roof. Separately, SNDL plans a tender offer of up to C$50 million after shareholders rejected a reverse split. $SNDL ( ▲ 1.99% )

Canadian cannabis company Canopy Growth received a Nasdaq notice after its shares closed below $1 for 30 straight business days, giving it until April 12, 2027 to regain compliance. Shareholders vote Oct. 23 on a reverse split of between 1-for-5 and 1-for-15, after the annual meeting was adjourned in September for lack of quorum. $CGC ( ▲ 0.6% ) $WEED.TSX ( ▼ 0.98% )

And more:

A meta-analysis of 41 studies covering 1,020 infrequent users, published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, found that inhaling 5 mg of THC raised self-reported high by 34 points on a 100-point scale compared with placebo, while 10 mg pushed it only to 39. The researchers saw no added anxiety, tiredness or loss of alertness at the higher dose, and say the results back the classic “start low, go slow” advice.

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OPINION: Ontario must crack down on illegal cannabis before faith goes up in smoke | Toronto Sun