Massachusetts could end recreational sales, Idaho voters decide whether to give lawmakers sole authority over cannabis legalization and Houston votes on marijuana enforcement. Cannabis is also shaping races in Texas and New Hampshire, with a federal hemp deadline five weeks out.
Ten years ago, Massachusetts voted to legalize recreational marijuana. Today, voters could shut down the retail industry that grew out of that decision.
Question 8 would end adult-use sales and home cultivation while preserving the medical program and limited personal possession. If it passes, Massachusetts would become the first state to repeal legal recreational cannabis sales by popular vote.
Massachusetts isn’t the only place voting on cannabis policy. Idaho has a constitutional amendment that would take future legalization decisions out of voters’ hands, Houston has a marijuana enforcement measure, and the issue is playing into major races in Texas and New Hampshire. For a state-by-state rundown, see our guide to the 2026 cannabis ballot measures.
Massachusetts: Question 8
A yes vote would prohibit the retail sale of adult-use cannabis and repeal the law allowing home cultivation. Adults 21 and older could still possess up to one ounce, including no more than five grams of concentrate. Possessing between one and two ounces would bring a $100 civil fine and forfeiture. The medical program would stay in place, and recreational sales would end on January 1, 2028, so dispensaries wouldn’t close tomorrow even if the measure passes.
Massachusetts collected $289 million in state cannabis tax revenue in fiscal 2025, according to the Cannabis Control Commission. For the full picture of what repeal would shut down, read our Question 8 explainer.
The repeal campaign, the Coalition for a Healthy Massachusetts, is mostly funded by Smart Approaches to Marijuana Action, the Virginia-based group led by Kevin Sabet, which had contributed nearly $3.5 million as of October. “Question 8 is simply about the commercialization of marijuana,” Sabet told the station. Jeremy Berke has dug into the numbers the campaign uses to make its case.
On Monday, the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers endorsed the No on 8 campaign, joining the industry groups and retailers opposing repeal. We covered how the community organized against repeal earlier this year.
Polling has not been kind to repeal. A UMass Lowell/YouGov poll released October 28 found 69% of likely voters opposed Question 8 and 24% supported it. An earlier UMass Amherst/WCVB poll found 61% opposed and 31% in favor.
Idaho: Who Gets to Legalize Cannabis?
Idaho voters decide House Joint Resolution 4, a constitutional amendment that would give the Legislature sole authority to legalize marijuana and other psychoactive drugs. If it passes, Idahoans could no longer legalize cannabis through a citizen initiative, the route most legal states have used.
Texas: Houston Votes, and THC Divides the Candidates
Texas has no statewide cannabis measure, but Houston voters are deciding Proposition A, the Houston Freedom Act. The city charter amendment would make misdemeanor marijuana possession the police department’s lowest enforcement priority and bar officers from seeking or carrying out no-knock warrants. It would not legalize marijuana or override state law.
Statewide, THC has become an issue in two top races. In the Senate race, Democrat James Talarico has said he would support federal legalization. “In the Senate, I’ll support legalizing marijuana for adults,” he told the Texas Tribune, adding of hemp THC restrictions, “Like prohibition, bans don’t work,” Marijuana Moment reported. His Republican opponent, Attorney General Ken Paxton, did not answer the Tribune‘s questions on hemp regulation. As attorney general, Paxton has sued Texas cities to block voter-approved decriminalization measures, and his office has defended the state’s hemp THC restrictions in court.
In the race for lieutenant governor, Dan Patrick, who led the push to ban intoxicating hemp, faces Democratic state Rep. Vikki Goodwin, who backs alcohol-style rules for hemp and an expanded medical program.
New Hampshire: The Last Holdout in New England
New Hampshire remains the only New England state without legal adult-use cannabis, and the governor’s race offers voters a clear contrast. “I oppose the legalization of cannabis in this state,” Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte said at an October debate. Democratic challenger Cinde Warmington said, “I support the sale and legalization of cannabis as an additional revenue source in our state,” according to Marijuana Moment.
After Election Day, a December Deadline for Hemp
Most of the new federal hemp restrictions take effect December 11 unless Congress intervenes. A narrower exclusion covering cannabinoids that cannot naturally occur in the cannabis plant begins November 12. The federal redefinition of hemp would exclude finished hemp-derived cannabinoid products containing more than 0.4 mg of total THC per container. Rep. Morgan Griffith (R-VA) wants to attach his hemp THC regulatory bill to a reconciliation package in the lame-duck session. “I think we need to get my THC regulatory bill passed,” he told Roll Call. For every date that matters between now and then, see our calendar.
Polls close tonight. We’ll update this story as results come in.
