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.*

The post The Cannabis Industry Is Sleeping On Threat To Repeal Legalization
In Maine And Massachusetts (Op-Ed) appeared first on Marijuana Moment.