Politics
The Super Troopers Guys Help Explain The Confusing Anti-Marijuana Question On Massachusetts’s Ballot
Voters in Massachusetts could be forgiven for being confused about how to cast their November ballots on an initiative that proposes to roll back the state’s marijuana legalization law. A “yes” vote is really a “no” on continued legal adult-use cannabis sales, while a “no” vote is a “yes” on keeping the state’s recreational dispensary system in place.
Huh?
Thankfully, a group of comedians is here to break it down. Broken Lizard, the comedy troupe behind films such as Super Troopers and Beerfest, has launched a video that hilariously depicts the bewilderment that some Massachusetts voters may be feeling and then explains what the anti-cannabis ballot initiative would actually do.
The two-minute spot, which was shared exclusively with Marijuana Moment ahead of its release, begins with Broken Lizard member Steve Lemme proudly strolling up to his colleagues wearing a “Yes On Question 8” shirt.
But immediately, Jay Chandrasekhar asks, “Dude, what’s wrong with you? Why are you wearing that shirt?”
Lemme replies that he is sporting the tee “because I am going to vote yes on Question 8 for a sensible marijuana policy in Massachusetts. What could be wrong with that?”
Paul Soter then chimes in to explain that “‘Yes’ on Question 8 would end legal marijuana sales and bring back penalties for selling marijuana—destroying the regulated system that voters approved 10 years ago.”
“Huh? That’s not sensible,” Lemme says. “It’s kind of sneaky. But the guy who had me sign the petition to put it on the ballot said he was from the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts. What kind of an asshole doesn’t want a healthier Massachusetts?”
Soter notes that supporters of the anti-cannabis initiative have been accused of convincing people to sign petitions by telling them it is actually about other, unrelated issues.
“Oh wait, wait!” Kevin Heffernan chimes in. “I signed that petition, but the guy told me it was to ban breastfeeding and bowling alleys.”
As Marijuana Moment has previously reported, signature gatherers for the prohibitionist initiative were caught on tape using misleading tactics—seeming to argue that voters who support legal marijuana access should sign the petitions in order to somehow advance or protect reform. One was even fired following Marijuana Moment’s reporting.
In the Broken Lizard video, Erik Stolhanske explains that the petition gathers worked for an out-of-state company, and the campaign’s funding also largely comes from outside of Massachusetts.
“You guys got duped,” Chandrasekhar says. “This Yes on 8 measure has been both deliberately confusing and misleading.”
Soter then reads a portion of the legalese of the initiative, saying it is “not a particularly transparent way to say, ‘Hey, we’re going to totally abolish recreational marijuana sales.'”
” I feel stoned just trying to make sense of it,” Lemme says.
“If only there was like a simple catchphrase—like something already associated with drug use,” Soter says, thinking for a moment and then pulling a “No” sticker out of his pocket that he then affixes to Lemme’s “Yes On Question 8” shirt.
“When it comes to Question 8 on Election Day, just say no,” Soter says.
Soter separately told Marijuana Moment that Broken Lizard’s films such as the law enforcement comedy Super Troopers “resonate with two very different audiences: People who carry a badge and people who carry a bag…of weed.”
“We used to assume that Venn diagram didn’t intersect at all. But it turns out it does,” he said. “After filming both Super Troopers 2 and 3 in Massachusetts and spending time with locals and law enforcement, we found a surprising amount of overlap. Not because cops are running around stoned to the gills, but because both groups care a lot about how cannabis policy is handled.”
“Both groups want it to be safe and legal. And both groups see the benefits of a system that keeps cannabis taxed and regulated,” Soter said. “On this, both groups don’t just overlap, they’re amazingly unified. Stoners don’t want to go back to the way things were, and neither do many of the officers we spoke to.”
“That’s why we jumped at the opportunity to help bring Massachusetts police and first responders into a candid conversation about sensible marijuana policy. Yes, it might at first seem weird for anyone to take policy advice from a bunch of dudes who became famous for chugging syrup and saying “meow.” But when plenty of actual cops agree with the guys who portray them on screen, maybe these dudes are worth listening to. So if you’re listening, please Vote No on Question 8.”
The ad was paid for by the Committee for Responsible Cannabis Policy (CRCP), a recently formed Massachusetts ballot committee that opposes the prohibitionist initiative, which would repeal laws allowing the regulated commercial sales of recreational cannabis and home cultivation while maintaining legal possession and continuing the medical marijuana system.
CRCP was formed by key members of the nonprofit organization Law Enforcement Action Partnership (LEAP), though it is a legally separate entity. (Marijuana Moment’s editor and publisher previously served as a staffer for LEAP under the organization’s former name, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition.)
Diane Goldstein, the executive director of LEAP and treasurer of CRCP, told Marijuana Moment that after her 21-year law enforcement career, she is “no stranger to the harms of prohibition or the questionable tactics that have been used to sell it to the public.”
“Question 8 is titled ‘An Act to Restore Sensible Marijuana Policy,’ but a yes vote would end legal, regulated adult-use sales in Massachusetts and send the state back to where it was before 2016,” she said. “A no vote preserves the current system, which is delivering on its promise. Voters shouldn’t need a law degree, or a decoder ring, to figure that out.”
“For decades, the war on drugs has relied on exaggeration, fear, and misleading claims to justify failed policies that ultimately do more harm than good,” Goldstein said. “Those of us in law enforcement have seen the results up close. The committee’s ad asks voters to read the question carefully and see it for what it is. Vote no on Question 8.”
Meanwhile, a series of recent polls show that Massachusetts voters believe legalizing marijuana has been good for the state and that a strong majority plan to vote against Question 8.
This month, more than 50 state lawmakers said they will be voting against the anti-marijuana ballot measure. That includes the House speaker and Senate president.
U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) both recently told Marijuana Moment that they will be voting against the anti-cannabis measure.
“We could make improvements in the operations but legalizing cannabis is better than continuing an unregulated, underground market,” Warren said. “So I’m opposed to the repeal. I’m voting no on the ballot to repeal.”
Markey, for his part, said the state’s marijuana legalization law that voters approved in 2016 continues to enjoy “overwhelming support.”
“We’ve had debate,” he said. “The voters are satisfied at this moment with the experience that the state has had with it… I support keeping it on the books and overwhelmingly so do the people of Massachusetts.”
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) also recently urged voters to reject the measure, saying that “keeping marijuana legal in Massachusetts is both economic justice and racial justice policy.”
Gov. Maura Healey (D) similarly said recently that she opposes the anti-cannabis initiative, saying that “we’ve got to keep recreational marijuana here in Massachusetts.”
“It’s an important industry, the cannabis industry,” the governor said. “And I hope the voters keep cannabis.”
