Politics
The Cannabis Industry Is Sleeping On Threat To Repeal Legalization In Maine And Massachusetts (Op-Ed)
“The industry can’t afford to sit this out… National trade groups, operators and investors should help fund and coordinate local opposition now.”
By Joanne Caceres and Hannah King, Dentons
Two under-the-radar signature drives in New England could become the biggest political test for cannabis legalization in a decade—and the industry is largely ignoring them.
In Maine and Massachusetts, organized groups are collecting signatures for ballot initiatives to repeal adult-use cannabis laws.
On September 9, just hours before the filing deadline, an initiative petition was filed in Maine to repeal the provisions in Maine’s adult use cannabis laws that allow for the commercial cultivation, manufacturing, and sale of adult use cannabis. Similarly, in September, the Massachusetts attorney general’s office certified two initiative petitions titled “An Act to Restore a Sensible Marijuana Policy,” that would repeal most of the state’s commercial adult-use framework.
If either the Massachusetts or Maine initiative succeeds in gathering enough signatures, voters in those states could be asked to decide the question at the November 2026 general election. Any of these initiatives qualifying for the ballot would mark the first serious attempt anywhere in the country to roll back legalization through direct democracy.
And yet, the response from industry so far has been a collective shrug.
That’s a potentially dangerous mistake. Even cannabis operators and trade groups that do not operate in those markets should care deeply about what’s unfolding, for two reasons.
1. Maine and Massachusetts are test cases for a national repeal movement.
Just as cannabis reform began at the ballot box, its opponents are now using the same mechanism to try to reverse it. The groups behind these New England petitions aren’t random moral crusaders—they’re politically connected, message-disciplined and testing the waters for something bigger.
If they can qualify a repeal measure in Maine or Massachusetts, they’ll have a roadmap to take that strategy to other initiative-driven states like Oklahoma, Missouri, Arizona and even Florida. These are much larger markets, and all have active networks of prohibitionist and “public safety” organizations ready to mobilize.
Even a single repeal victory would be politically catastrophic. It would flip the national conversation from “when will federal reform arrive?” to “is legalization in retreat?”
That shift in perception alone could set the movement back years.
2. A repeal win anywhere will chill capital everywhere.
The cannabis industry’s biggest challenge today is the lack of capital. Institutional money remains cautious, debt is expensive and investor sentiment is fragile.
Imagine the signal sent to investors if legalization proves politically reversible. The risk premium on cannabis assets would skyrocket. Many lenders, insurers, and ancillary service providers would likely pull back. M&A activity—already tepid—could stall. In a year where many major companies are facing a debt cliff, such a chilling effect could be incredibly damaging, even for successful cannabis operators.
Capital markets are built on confidence. If one state rolls back legalization, that confidence evaporates far beyond New England. Even companies operating exclusively in the Midwest or West Coast will feel the squeeze.
The industry can’t afford to sit this out.
So far, most major operators have stayed on the sidelines, assuming these repeal campaigns will fizzle. Ballot initiatives live or die based on early, well-organized narrative work not wishful thinking. If the only public voices in the debate are those blaming cannabis for social ills, voters will listen.
National trade groups, operators and investors should help fund and coordinate local opposition now—not after the repeal measures qualify. This means coalition-building, polling, media engagement and grassroots education. The same playbook that got legalization passed in the first place needs to be redeployed to protect it.
The industry has spent two decades fighting for legitimacy. Losing even one state would hand prohibitionists the talking point that legalization was a failed experiment.
Maine and Massachusetts may seem like distant, regional skirmishes—but they could define the next chapter of cannabis reform nationwide.
The lesson is simple: ignore these repeal efforts at your own peril.
Joanne Caceres and Hannah King are partners in the Cannabis group at Dentons.
Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.
