“Those who think they have been fraudulently led to sign these petitions should contact their Town Clerk immediately and request that they not certify their signature“
As we reported last week, the campaign to end recreational cannabis in Mass claims it submitted enough signatures to secure a place on the ballot next year. If passed, the initiative could essentially blow up the entire industry and everything in or around it.
Those signatures still need to be counted and verified, and with so much controversy around the methods the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts used to collect those names, we will continue to watch that process closely (you can watch our latest video here).
In the meantime, the Massachusetts Cannabis Business Association is informing people about what they can do if they feel they were duped. The following is excerpted from a CBA media statement:
After weeks of reports that voter fraud is being routinely committed by the campaign seeking to make possession of marijuana a crime in Massachusetts, voters across the state are being reminded to contact their election clerks if they believe they signed petitions under deceptive measures.
Residents across the state have reported numerous instances of those gathering signatures for the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts lying to voters about the purpose of their signature gathering efforts.
Those who think they have been fraudulently led to sign these petitions should contact their Town Clerk immediately and request that they not certify their signature on Petitions 1D or 1E.
City and Town Clerks across the Commonwealth are in the process of certifying signatures for multiple campaigns seeking to get on the 2026 ballot. Once certified at the local level, those signatures must be filed with the Secretary of State’s office by December 3.
The campaign, which refuses to call on these signature gatherers to stop their deceptive practices, reports that it collected the necessary signatures to move to the next step in the ballot question process.
The Secretary of State’s Office and the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General have both reported being contacted by voters with concerns about the campaign’s widespread practice of attempting to deceive voters during this critical signature gathering stage.
In order to move forward, a petition must file 74,574 signatures with the Secretary of State’s Office by the December 3 deadline. No more than 18,643 may come from one county. If it meets this requirement, it will move to the Legislature for action. If no action is taken, it will need to collect 12,429 additional signatures beginning in the first week of May.
“Clerks do this every season, they know what to look for when it comes to questionable signatures,” David O’Brien, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Cannabis Business Association, said in a statement. “If you’re a voter who signed this petition under the impression you were signing for something else, please do not hesitate to contact your local clerk and speak with them.”
He continued: “The fact that the campaign refuses to disavow these actions shows that they know they do not have the support to move forward without lying to voters. Clearly, they’re having trouble finding people who want to repeal our highly effective cannabis laws and kill our successful cannabis industry.”
