The Massachusetts attorney general approved ballot initiatives from two marijuana advocacy groups in Massachusetts.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol and the Bay State Repeal both believe that legalizing marijuana will improve regulation, prevent minors from accessing it, and stimulate the state’s economy.
The advocacy groups must collect and file signatures from more than 64,000 voters by Dec. 2 to get on the ballot in the November 2016 election. If passed by voters the proposal would become a state statute.
53% of Massachusetts voters told a Suffolk University/Boston Herald poll in 2015 that they favor legalizing marijuana, whereas just 37% opposed.
The Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol proposes a 3.75% excise tax, optional local taxes, and the creation of a new state group to regulate the drug.
The Bay State Repeal group proposes no additional taxes on marijuana and argues it should be treated like other products sold to adults 21 years or older.