Massachusetts Governor and GOP Rival Both Oppose Rolling Back Legal Weed

It's not often that candidates from opposite parties line up on a cannabis question, but that's what's happening in Massachusetts a week before the election. Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and her Republican opponent both say they're against a ballot initiative that would roll back the state's marijuana legalization law.

Healey laid out her position in an interview with NBC 10 Boston, saying she'll be voting no on the measure. Her reasoning was straightforward: "the cannabis industry is important." She added that cannabis is already part of life in the state, making the point that the market exists and should be allowed to continue rather than being unwound by voters.

The agreement between the two candidates is notable given how often cannabis policy gets split along party lines. In this case, the governor and her challenger are on the same side, which suggests that repealing legalization isn't a rallying cry for either campaign. For a measure that would undo a program voters originally approved, that bipartisan opposition could carry weight with undecided voters heading into the final days.

Massachusetts has had legal adult-use cannabis for years, and a retail industry has grown up around it, including licensed shops, cultivators, manufacturers, and the jobs that come with them. A repeal would force the state to confront what to do with that established market, which is part of why leaders in both parties may be reluctant to back the idea.

Of course, candidate positions don't decide ballot questions, voters do. But when the state's top Democrat and the leading Republican both urge a no vote, supporters of keeping legal sales intact have a useful talking point as the election approaches. Results next week will show whether voters agree with them.