Massachusetts Congressional Districts Marijuana Legalization Public Policy Question Advisory Votes - Eight Districts (November 2014)

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Marijuana Legalization Advisory Public Policy Questions were on the November 4, 2014 election ballot voter voters in eight State House of Representative districts. The question received well over 50 percent approval in each district in which it was presented.

This advisory question showed, in each district respectively, support for the legalization, regulation and taxation of marijuana in a way similar to the manner alcohol is treated.

The Drug Policy Forum of Massachusetts (DPFM) was behind these initiated public policy questions.

The question was put before voters in the following districts:

Note: Information below indicates the district formation and representation as of November 1, 2014, and could change based the results of elections and redistricting.

a - 73 percent approval - Fourth Representative district of Barnstable - Rep. Sarah Peake (D) — under the name Question 6 in Provincetown, Truro, Wellfleet, Eastham, Orleans, Chatham, Harwich and Precinct 3 of Brewster; under the name Question 9 in Orleans

a - 74 percent approval - Fourth Representative district of Berkshire — Rep. William Pignatelli (D) - under the name Question 5 in Lenox, Lee, Great Barrington, Stockbridge, Alford, Becket, Egremont, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Tyringham, Washington, West Stockbridge, Blandford, Russell and Tolland; under the name Question 6 in Otis

a - 72 percent approval - First district of Essex — Vacant - under the name Question 5 in Newburyport, Salisbury and Amesbury

a - 69 percent approval - Second district of Franklin — Rep. Denise Andrews (D) - under the name Question 5 in Athol, Petersham, Phillipston and precinct A of Belchertown; under the name Question 6 in Erving, Gill, New Salem, Orange, Warwick, and Wendell; under the name Question 7 in Royalston and Templeton

a - 72 percent approval - 14th district of Middlesex — Rep. Cory Atkins (D) - under the name Question 5 in Concord, Carlisle, Precincts 1, 2, and 6 of Acton, and Precincts 1 and 9 of Chelmsford

a - 72 percent approval - 15th district of Middlesex — Rep. David Linsky (D) - under the name Question 5 in Lexington; under the name Question 6 in Wards 1 and 7 of Woburn

a -74 percent approval - 24th district of Middlesex — Rep. David Rogers (D) - under the name Question 5 in Belmont, Ward 11: Precincts 1 and 3 of Cambridge; under the name Question 6 in Precincts 2, 4, 8, 10 and 12 of Arlington

a -73 percent approval - Eighth district of Norfolk — Rep. Louis Kafka (D) - under the name Question 6 in Sharon, Precinct 4 of Mansfield, Precincts 2, 3, 4 and 6 of Stoughton; under the name Question 7 in Precincts 3 and 4 of Walpole

A "yes" vote expressed approval of legalization. A "no" vote expressed disapproval.

Text of measure

Ballot question

The question on the ballot:

“

Shall the State Representative from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation that would allow the state to regulate and tax marijuana in the same manner as alcohol?

”

Previous DPFM questions

2012

Six districts approved advisory questions in favor of legalization in 2012.

• 73.6 percent approval in the second Middlesex Senate District, consisting of Medford, Somerville, nearly a third of Cambridge and half of Winchester
• 71.7 percent approval in the Middlesex and Suffolk Senate District, consisting of Chelsea, Everett, a little more than half of Cambridge, and the Allston and Charlestown sections of Boston
• 72 percent approval in the second Berkshire State Representative District, consisting of Greenfield, Dalton, Hinsdale, Peru, Savoy, Windsor, Bernardston, Charlemont, Colrain, Hawley, Heath, Leyden, Monroe, Northfield, Rowe and a small portion of Pittsfield
• 65.1 percent approval in the first Essex and Middlesex Senate District, consisting of Georgetown, Newbury, West Newbury, Hamilton, Wenham, Gloucester, Boxford, Essex, Groveland, Ipswich, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Middleton, Rockport, Rowley, North Reading, Wilmington and a little less than half of North Andover
• 66.3 percent approval in the eighth Essex State Representative District, consisting of Marblehead, Swampscott and a portion of Lynn
• 53.5 percent approval in the 22nd Middlesex State Representative District - Billerica

Map of districts that voted in favor of legalization from 2004-2010

2004-2010

The DPFM has been responsible for many similar PPQs across the state since 2004.

From 2004 - 2010 the following districts approved a question favoring legalization:

• 2010 - 66.3 percent approval in Barnstable, Dukes, & Nantucket State Representative District, consisting of Aquinnah, Chilmark, Edgartown, Falmouth, Gosnold, Nantucket, Oak Bluffs, Tisbury, West Tisbury
• 2010 - 68.6 percent approval in first Franklin Rep. District, consisting of half of Belchertown, Chesterfield, Conway Deerfield, Goshen, Huntington, Leverett, Montague, New Salem, Pelham, Shutesbury, Sunderland, Wendell, Whately, Williamsburg, Worthington
• 2010 - 69.1 percent approval in the third Hampshire Rep. District, consisting of Amherst, Granby
• 2010 - 62.1 percent approval in the 13th Middlesex Rep District, consisting of Lincoln, Sudbury, Wayland
• 2010 - 56.2 percent approval in the seventh Essex State Rep District, consisting Salem
• 2010 - 56.4 percent approval in the eighth Essex State Rep District, consisting of Lynn, Marblehead, Swampscott
• 2010 - 63.1 percent approval in the first Middlesex and Norfolk Senate District, consisting of Brookline, Newton, and slightly more than half of Wellesley
• 2010 - 54.2 percent approval in the third Middlesex State Rep. District, consisting of Bolton, Hudson, Maynard, Stow
• 2010 - 54 percent approval in the 13th Norfolk State Rep. District, consisting of Dover, Needham and 50% of Medfield
• 2004 - 58 percent approval in the first Hampshire State Rep District, consisting of Hatfield, Montgomery, Northampton, Southampton, Westhampton

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, voters may initiate public policy questions (PPQs) for the voters in State Representative or Senate districts by collecting enough valid signatures. The question takes the following form:

“

Shall the (senator or representative) from this district be instructed to vote in favor of legislation (describe the legislation you wish to be enacted)?

”

If the question is approved by a majority of the electorate voting in the district, the question serves as instructions to the relevant legislator. The question is non-binding and advisory only, however. It serves simply to apprise the district's senator or representative what the will of his or her constituents is on a specific issue.

In order to place a PPQ on the ballot in a senatorial district, a minimum of 1,200 signatures were required from persons registered to vote within the district.

For a representative district, 200 signatures from registered voters were required.

Related measures

Recreational

a Washington D.C. Marijuana Legalization, Initiative 71 (November 2014)

Colorado:

• Nine local 2014 marijuana measures in Colorado

Maine:

a City of Lewiston Recreational Marijuana Legalization Measure (November 2014)
a City of South Portland Recreational Marijuana Legalization Measure (November 2014)
Town of York Recreational Marijuana Legalization Measure (November 2014)

Massachusetts:

• Massachusetts Congressional Districts Marijuana Legalization Public Policy Question Advisory Votes - Eight Districts (November 2014)

Michigan:

• Local marijuana measures in Michigan

New Mexico:

a Santa Fe County Marijuana Decriminalization Advisory Question (November 2014)
a Bernalillo County Marijuana Decriminalization Advisory Question, Measure 1 (November 2014)
City of Albuquerque Marijuana Decriminalization Measure (November 2014)
City of Santa Fe Marijuana Decriminalization Initiative (November 2014)

Wisconsin:

a Dane County State Legalization of Marijuana Referendum (April 2014)

Medical

California:

a City of Santa Ana Council-Referred Medical Marijuana Regulation Ordinance, Measure BB (November 2014)
d City of Santa Ana Medical Cannabis Restriction and Limitation Initiative, Measure CC (November 2014)
d City of La Mesa Medical Marijuana Initiative, Proposition J (November 2014)
d City of Encinitas Medical Marijuana Initiative, Proposition F (November 2014)
d Nevada County Medical Marijuana Cultivation, Measure S (November 2014)
a Butte County Medical Marijuana Ordinance 4075 Referendum, Measure A (November 2014)
d Butte County Medical Marijuana Initiative, Measure B (November 2014)
a Shasta County Outdoor Medical Marijuana Ordinance Referendum, Measure A (November 2014)
d Lake County "Medical Marijuana Control Act" Initiative, Measure O (November 2014)
d Lake County "Freedom to Garden Human Rights Restoration Act" Initiative, Measure P (November 2014)
d City of Weed Permitting Licensing of Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Advisory Question, Measure L (November 2014)
a City of Weed Outdoor Marijuana Cultivation Ban Advisory Question, Measure K (November 2014)
a Lake County Marijuana Cultivation Ordinance 2997 Referendum, Measure N (June 2014)
City of Imperial Beach "Compassionate Access Ordinance" Medical Marijuana Dispensaries Act (June 2014)
City of Napa Medical Marijuana Dispensary Referendum (November 2014)
City of San Jose Medical Marijuana Regulation Act of 2014 (November 2014)

See also

• Local marijuana on the ballot
• November 4, 2014 ballot measures in Massachusetts

External links

Suggest a link

• Marijuana Policy Project, "Summary of 2014 local marijuana measures," accessed October 24, 2014
• Marijuana Policy Project, "Election results for Massachusetts PPQs," accessed November 5, 2014