The year 2016 could be the year of the cannabis, that is, if things go well and Massachusetts voters have anything to say about legalizing weed. Presently, four states, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, and Alaska, plus D.C., have already passed legislation that legalizes it for recreational use.
Massachusetts is one of a half-dozen states where legalizing weed could be on the ballot in the next presidential election cycle. In the past, Massachusetts voters’ have shown amazing support for other ballot initiatives, like decriminalizing small amounts of marijuana in 2008 and legalizing weed for medical purposes in 2012. Based on their track record, the possibility of legalizing weed altogether is promising.
Urgent: Should Marijuana Be Legalized in All States?
A local group, known as the Bay State Repeal, is organizing and getting signatures for a ballot question in 2016. If passed, it would legalize and regulate recreational marijuana.
A more powerful national group, Marijuana Policy Project, also organized a referendum committee, a first step in a process that is less than two years away.
According to Bill Downing, treasurer of the Massachusetts Cannabis Reform Coalition and a committee member of Bay State Repeal, “Place your bets today. 2016 is the year for a ballot measure. It's going to happen, it's just a matter of when.”
Marijuana Policy Project's Mason Tvert agreed. “Marijuana has been used for a long time, and it's not going anywhere. It's time to get our heads out of the sand,” he said. “Citizens are often ahead of elected officials on issues like this.”
Most recently in Massachusetts, a September 2013 survey by Public Policy Polling found a plurality of support for legalizing weed: 49 percent said it should be legal while 39 percent said it should not.
Reactions to proposed changes in the Massachusetts law were mixed on Twitter:
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