Massachusetts voters are evenly split on a psychedelics legalization initiative that will appear on next month’s ballot, according to a new poll that shows the measure falling short of support needed for passage.
With just three weeks left until Election Day, the University of Massachusetts Amherst/WCVB Poll that was released on Tuesday found that 43 percent of residents are in favor of the proposal and another 43 percent are opposed. That leaves a significant percentage of the electorate (14 percent) undecided.
The ballot measure, Question 4, would allow adults 21 and older to legally possess, grow and share certain amounts of psychedelics such as psilocybin, ibogaine and DMT. It would also set the stage for regulated access at licensed service centers attended by trained facilitators.
“Massachusetts residents are evenly split on the ballot question to legalize and regulate psychedelics, and a significant share (14 percent) remain unsure how they will vote,” Jesse Rhodes, professor of political science at UMass Amherst and co-director of the poll, said in a press release.
“This may well reflect the fact that the issue is complex, and the ballot question is complicated, involving many issues,” Rhodes said. “Unsure commonwealth voters will likely determine the outcome of this ballot question.”
Tatishe Nteta, director of the poll, added that majority support was concentrated among a few demographic and political groups in the state that include young people, Democrats, liberals and Biden voters
“Older voters, independents, Republicans and parents are particularly opposed to this ballot question, and given the high turnout among these groups in particular, this does not bode well for those who seek to make Massachusetts the third state in the nation to make these substances legal,” Nteta said.
The survey—which involved interviews with 700 Massachusetts residents from October 3-10, with a +/-4.8 percentage point margin of error—is one of relatively few assessing public sentiment toward the novel reform. Another poll that was released last month found a plurality of likely voters (44 percent) opposed to the initiative and 42 percent in favor of it.
Jared Moffat, policy director for New Approach, which is backing the measure, said that “people in Massachusetts understand there’s a mental health crisis, and for many people, the existing tools aren’t working.”
“Unfortunately some voices who oppose Question 4 are using fear tactics and misinformation to discourage support,” he told Marijuana Moment. “We remain hopeful that a majority of Massachusetts voters will understand the need for more mental health options and that Question 4 represents a responsible approach based in public health.”
Activists are working to close the gap in support. For example, the veteran service organization (VSO) Heroic Hearts Project recently released an ad promoting the reform as a pathway to provide a critical alternative therapy option for people with serious health conditions.
Meanwhile, Gov. Maura Healy (D) in January drew attention to testimony around a veterans-focused bill that she’s introduced, and has since been enacted, to create a psychedelics work group to study the therapeutic potential of substances such as psilocybin.
Enactment of the HERO Act followed a Massachusetts joint legislative committee’s decision to advise the legislature not to pass the broader statewide psychedelics legalization initiative. Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin certified in July that that activists collected more than enough valid petitions for that proposal to go before voters.
Lawmakers were required to consider the psychedelics measure, spearheaded by the campaign Massachusetts for Mental Health Options (MMHO), after the state certified advocates had submitted enough valid signatures in an initial petitioning round last year.
—Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,500 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.—
In May, the Special Joint Committee on Ballot Initiatives issued a majority report that formally recommended against passing the measure as drafted.
The campaign first filed two different psychedelics reform initiatives in August, and after the state attorney general determined that they both met the constitutional requirement for ballot placement the following months, activists decided to pursue the version that included a home cultivation option.
Eight cities across Massachusetts have enacted policies to locally deprioritize enforcement of laws against psychedelics, an effort that has been led by BSNM: Salem, Somerville, Cambridge, Easthampton, Northampton, Amherst, Provincetown and Medford.
The Cambridge City Council and Somerville City Council also voted to endorse the statewide psychedelics ballot measure in August.
Separately, a different Massachusetts legislative committee advanced a bill in February that would legalize psilocybin therapy in the Commonwealth and set up a framework to license facilitators who would supervise medical, therapeutic and spiritual applications of the drug.
Rep. Mike Connolly (D) also filed a bill in 2021 that received a Joint Judiciary Committee hearing on studying the implications of legalizing entheogenic substances like psilocybin and ayahuasca.
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Photo courtesy of Dick Culbert.
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